Ding, ding, ding …
Stop the Darwin Award nominations, we have a winner
A Illinois woman who encouraged her son to cook household objects in a microwave and post the videotaped results on YouTube died when a subsequent fire burned her apartment down.
The 12-year-old and 8-year-old sons of 41-year-old Charlene Sipe both escaped from the fire, along with several residents. But she didn’t make it.
Over the past several months, the boy posted about videos under the name “Microwaverz,” that showed what happened when items ranging from gum to a light bulb to tin foil and a lava lamp were placed in a microwave oven that was then turned on.
The first video showed the microwave’s effects on a glue stick. The last one, a week before the fire, showed a tube of toothpaste with flames shooting up.
An previous post on Charlene Sipe’s Facebook page touted a link to her son’s video of a piece of steel wool in the microwave: “Don’t worry, it’s completely safe!”
Fire and brimstoned
A man who allegedly lit hats on fire to drive demons from his friend’s home was arrested and charged with reckless burning, reports the Connecticut Post.
The friend’s wife told police that 48-year-old Jose Delcid has been discussing the Bible and God nonstop and believed there were demons in the garage.
Delcid admitted that he burned the hats to drive the demons away. He also told police that on a recent Saturday he smoked some bad marijuana and since then had been having strange thoughts and visions of people’s eyes transforming and getting larger, the police report said.
A space case
A Florida man was sentenced to four years in prison for prank calling a space shuttle launch.
Nicholas Barbati, 22, pleaded guilty to calling the U.S. Coast Guard on a secure line, claiming to be a lieutenant commander and stating he could see a threat to Space Shuttle Endeavour two miles offshore.
That was Nov. 14, 2008. Endeavour was sitting on a launch pad, 45 minutes from blastoff with seven astronauts strapped in their seats. It took a half-dozen agencies 40 minutes to determine it was a hoax.
With five minutes left on the clock, the call was made to send Endeavour into orbit. Federal authorities eventually tracked down Barbati. Investigators found Barbati had also made calls to law enforcers threatening to kill a baby, re-create the Virginia Tech massacre, and purposely tie up emergency phone lines.
An argument for pat downs
Two women in Oklahoma were arrested for shoplifting after police said they used the fat folds in their bodies to conceal the goods.
Police say the women took four pair of boots, three pair of jeans, a wallet and gloves — $2,600 worth of merchandise — from T.J. Maxx, and stuffed the items under their belly fat and breasts.
Ailene Brown, 28, and Shmeco Thomas, 37, were arrested for shoplifting and are facing felony charges.
Compiled by Scott McCabe
