oddly enough

oddly enough

Gladys Knight sings ‘Happy Birthday’ during traffic stop

SALT LAKE CITY

A Utah police officer who pulled over a car carrying iconic soul singer Gladys Knight was treated to an impromptu rendition of “Happy Birthday” on Wednesday night.

Knight was a passenger in the car stopped for speeding in the town about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Mike Roberts said.

Officer Paul Rogerson got the driver’s license and was checking it in his patrol car when the woman told him that she was with Knight on the way to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints choir event.

The seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer of “Midnight Train to Georgia” is a Mormon convert, and she was speaking at the event. Rogerson said that he and his wife, who was riding along in the car because it was his birthday, are big fans.

When she heard that, Knight got out of the car and sang the officer “Happy Birthday.”

The couple snapped a photo with her, and Rogerson’s wife has since exchanged text messages with the singer.

The officer let the driver go with a warning, something he likely would have done even if Knight wasn’t in the car, Roberts said.

Police chief reviewing whether ticket was issued in retaliation

WHEELING, W.Va.

A West Virginia police chief is trying to determine if an officer issued a jaywalking ticket to a city parking-enforcement officer in retaliation to a parking-violation warning.

The Intelligencer reports that Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger is reviewing last Friday’s incident in which an officer issued a total of five jaywalking violations, including one to a city parking-enforcement officer.

Deputy Police Chief Martin Kimball says the incident occurred just a few days after some officers received letters from the city’s finance department, warning them that failure to pay for accumulated parking violations may result in warrants being issued for their arrest.

Chief Schwertfeger determined that a closer look was necessary given the timing of the warnings and the jaywalking tickets. He says he’s not opening an internal investigation, but is doing a personal review.

Cops scratching heads over bald man stealing Rogaine

MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio

Police in suburban Cincinnati are on the lookout for a bald man they say has been stealing hair-growth and memory-aid products from stores.

Mount Healthy police have issued an alert for “a serial thief” they say recently took $847 worth of Rogaine and Prevagen products from a Walgreens store in the city just north of Cincinnati. Police say he is linked to similar thefts from retailers in nearby suburbs.

Mount Healthy Detective Chris Jones tells WCPO-TV that police are “scratching our heads at this; no pun intended,” over the Rogaine thefts.

Associated Press