oddly enough

oddly enough

Virginia bill would save lives of chicken-killing dogs

RICHMOND, Va.

Dogs that kill chickens in Virginia would be saved from execution under a bill moving forward in the General Assembly.

The House of Delegates voted 82-17 to approve a bill Monday that would allow poultry-attacking dogs to be microchipped and locked up or sent to a new owner.

Under current law, courts are required to order the immediate killing or banishment to another state of a dog that’s found to be killing chickens or livestock.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Republican Del. Christopher Collins, who introduced the bill, said it would “solve a great injustice for our family friend, the canine.”

The bill initially also sought to grant a reprieve to dogs caught killing cows. But it was narrowed amid objections from rural lawmakers.

It heads to the Senate.

Businessman sues ex-fiancee over $2.1M in stolen jewels

PALM HARBOR, Fla.

A Florida businessman has sued his ex-fiancee alleging that she and her parents conspired to steal $2.1 million in gold, diamonds and other jewelry after their breakup last summer.

Scott Patrick Mitchell of Palm Harbor says his ex took 99 three-diamond necklaces, 147 gold rings and 172 loose diamonds from his vault, according to The Tampa Bay Times.

The ex-fiancee, Mary Catherine Hunt, also faces criminal charges of grand theft in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court for the purported heist. Her attorneys have denied the allegations and say more facts will come to light.

Mitchell, CEO of salon-products company Simply Organic, told investigators that he and investors bought the jewels from struggling jewelers during the recession in 2008. They paid $900,000, but now estimate the worth at $2.1 million.

He says only he and Hunt knew the combination to access the vault.

Mitchell told investigators that when he broke off his engagement to Hunt in June and called off their August wedding, the jewelry disappeared. He turned over surveillance video to investigators.

Hunt has since sold her home in Hillsborough County and moved back to Virginia.

However, surveillance video shows Hunt and her mother at a UPS Store before she left Florida.

The pair told the clerk they were mailing a laptop and an antique plate but tried to insure the package for $50,000, the maximum allowed.

Sheriff’s reports also show that on Aug. 19, Hunt’s father, Michael Hunt, called Mitchell from Virginia to say UPS had delivered a box of gold, diamonds and silver. Mitchell recorded the call and gave it to investigators.

Mitchell’s lawsuit seeks $6.1 million for the value of the stolen jewelry and damages, his attorney Todd Foster told the newspaper.

Associated Press