ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Perfect scapegoat: Goat on road jams traffic near DC

GERMANTOWN, Md.

The appearance of a goat on a road in a Maryland suburb of Washington created traffic delays and an opportunity for county police to come up with many puns.

The Washington Post reports the goat was found Oct. 15 on Muncaster Mill Road in Germantown, but it’s unclear where he came from and how he got on the roadway.

A video from a commuter shows a brown goat planted in the middle of the road as cars inch past in the rain. During the eight-second clip, the goat appears mostly unfazed as he looks around.

In a tweet, Montgomery County police revealed the goat’s name was indeed Billy, calling him the “Greatest of All Time scapegoat” for traffic delays. Police also said they “herd” animal services reunited Billy with his owner.

‘Brazen Botanist’ sentenced to jail for plant thefts

SALEM, Mass.

A Massachusetts man who police dubbed the “Brazen Botanist” after he was captured on a surveillance camera stealing plants from a porch has pleaded guilty.

The Salem News reports 43-year-old Joseph Gardner was sentenced Oct. 16 to one year in jail.

Police say a man was seen on a doorbell camera taking hanging plants from a Salem home at around 1:30 a.m. back on May 16.

Tips to police lead them to Gardner’s girlfriend’s home where they found two of the three missing plants.

Police recovered the plants and returned them to the owner. Gardner was arrested in August.

Gardner’s attorney says he had been working as a landscaper before his arrest.

Motorists stunned as metal balls roll down Seattle street

SEATTLE

Authorities in Seattle temporarily closed a street after motorists were stunned by dozens of large metal balls that spilled out of a truck and cascaded down the street, damaging several cars.

A video taken by a person at the scene the afternoon of Oct. 17 shows the balls loudly bouncing and rolling down the street as a driver slowly backs up, apparently attempting to escape the onslaught.

The Seattle Times reports that police spokesman Patrick Michaud said the balls appeared to be “really big ball bearings” and that it was unclear what caused the load of them to fall out of the truck.

Several cars were damaged but no injuries were reported.

Associated Press