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Give that pig a badge!

HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas -- The latest honorary member of the Hot Springs, Arkansas, police force is a real porker.

A suspected drug dealer on the run tried to hide out in a small wooden house on the night of April 29, only to be squealed on by its occupant -- a potbellied pig.

A drug task force was watching Richard Barajas for illegal activity when he spotted the officers, jumped from a balcony and fled. Barajas, 40, ran through several back yards, eventually losing his pursuers.

Agents Todd Sanders and Cory DeArman thought the suspect had gotten away until they heard a barrage of "oinks." They tracked down the commotion and moments later came across Barajas hiding in the pig's shed.

Barajas was found carrying three pounds of marijuana and was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, according to Lt. Rodney Neighbors of the Garland County Sheriff's Department.

Man steals car to get to jail

WOODSTOCK, Vermont -- Robert Shaida was just itching to get to jail.

Shaida surrendered last week to serve a brief sentence for driving with a suspended license. But when he arrived at the Woodstock jail, officers told him he needed to report to another prison, about 35 miles away. Shaida, annoyed yet determined to get his sentence out of the way, walked out and looked for a mode of transportation.

Shortly after leaving the Woodstock prison, police said Shaida jumped into an unlocked pickup, found the keys and drove off.

The car eventually got stuck in the mud after a wrong turn, but Shaida somehow managed to get to the Marble Valley Correctional Facility in nearby Rutland. Once there, he confessed to taking the truck and immediately was charged with driving a vehicle without the owner's consent. He also now faces another count of driving with a suspended license.

Suspect calls police after car is stolen

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- After discovering his rental car stolen, Joseph Hornrath III called the cops and insisted that the perpetrator be brought to justice. Unfortunately, Hornrath didn't realize that the cops also were looking for him.

Authorities say Hornrath was a suspect in at least 15 robberies of homes and businesses, including seven allegedly committed on April 19. The 25-year-old had remained elusive, however, and authorities said they had few leads on his whereabouts.

Hornrath called police on the morning of April 30 after he returned from a convenience store with alcohol to find his car missing. A friend, who Hornrath had just met earlier and was supposed to be waiting with the car, also was gone.

Hornrath gave authorities the description of the alleged thief. But when police arrived, they realized that Hornrath was a suspect in the earlier string of robberies, according to a spokeswoman for the Las Vegas police department. He was immediately arrested and faces numerous charges.

Will that be a latte or cappuccino?

MONROE, Washington -- A couple was arrested after a bizarre holdup of a Starbucks on April 30, during which the two donned company aprons and pretended to be employees to get money from unsuspecting drive-through customers.

Authorities said the incident began at about 5 a.m. when Trian Della Petrycki, 24, a former employee of the store, allegedly asked if she could come in and use the restroom. The store was not yet open.

Once Petrycki was inside, her boyfriend David Michael Williams II, 21, entered. The two then approached the manager with guns and demanded money from the safe.

Williams then put on a Starbucks apron and served coffee to 18 to 25 customers at the drive-through window, pocketing the cash. Petrycki, in the meantime, forced one employee to make coffee while keeping the other two in a back room for about half an hour. In all, the pair stole nearly $3,400.

Petrycki and Williams were arrested several days later. They pleaded not guilty on Monday, according to a Snohomish County Superior Court clerk.

-- Reported by Hozaifa Cassubhai



 
 
 
 



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