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Man accused of attempted murder in wedgie case

LOWER SOUTHAMPTON, Pennsylvania -- A man accused of trying to kill a friend for giving him a "wedgie" during a Phish concert will stand trial for attempted first-degree murder, a judge ruled last week.

Eric Kassoway, 19, was reveling at a concert last year when he decided to sneak up behind his friend, Daniel Strouss, and yank up his underwear. Apparently it must have hurt, because Strouss, 19, held a grudge for months. So much so, that on the night of June 12, he drove to Kassoway's home and shot him in the arm and leg. Kassoway nearly died from loss of blood.

Strouss' attorney does not dispute the prosecution's version of events and said that Strouss is undergoing therapy.

A jury trial has been scheduled for October 21, according to the Bucks County court clerk.

Man tells judge he makes phony checks

JIM THORPE, Pennsylvania -- A man who fell asleep while driving and then crashed into a school bus was a bit too forthright when he came to court. He told a judge he was groggy while driving because he was up late the night before writing counterfeit checks.

Charles Digiglio's excuse didn't elicit any sympathy from Carbon County Judge Roger Nanovic. He sentenced Digiglio on August 26 to up to four years in prison. Digiglio, 34, had pleaded guilty to causing the November 20, 2000, accident that resulted in numerous serious injuries.

In the accident, Digiglio hit the driver's side of the bus, causing it to roll onto its side. Almost two dozen people were injured, including one student who suffered a broken back after he was thrown from the bus.

The sentence will run concurrent with an 18-month federal sentence Digiglio must serve for participating in a ring that used stolen computers to create $500,000 of phony payroll and personal checks which were cashed at grocery stores.

Digiglio, who didn't have a driver's license at the time, also admitted he had used cocaine before the accident.

Man uses jury summons as toilet paper

HARTFORD, Connecticut -- Apparently fed up with being called for jury duty three times in the past two years, a man sent back his most recent summons with his own personal stamp -- feces.

Christopher Gurahian, 38, is accused of using the summons, issued March 18, as toilet paper. He wrote the words "stop wasting paper" on it and mailed it to the state judicial department. An employee of the Office of Jury Administration opened the envelope, recognized the foul stench and informed her supervisor, who notified authorities.

Gurahian, who operates Web sites for a living, also used red ink to draw a stick figure of a man behind bars on the one-page summons, authorities said. Police have not tested the excrement to determine if it was of human or animal origin.

Gurahian surrendered to authorities on August 21. He was charged with second-degree harassment and breach of peace, both misdemeanors. He was released on $2,500 bail and is due to appear in New Britain Superior Court on Sept. 4, according to the court clerk.

Accident victim recognizes EMT as his assailant

FERGUS FALLS, Minnesota -- As he lay on a stretcher after being struck by a pickup truck, a teenager says he recognized a member of the ambulance crew that took him to the hospital as the driver who hit him.

"I looked at him; I think he looked back at me. I was scared. I didn't dare say anything," 16-year-old Morgan Taylor reportedly said after being released from the hospital.

The alleged wrongdoer turned caregiver, 18-year-old Josh Waclawik, was charged August 16 with felony criminal vehicular injury and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving. Authorities said Waclawik struck Taylor with his pickup at about 11 p.m. on July 27 following a heated confrontation.

Waclawik and his girlfriend were parked at a local park when Taylor and a friend began to bother them, according to the police report. Taylor and the friend knew the girl and allegedly began to harass the couple. Taylor and a friend jumped into the back of the pickup. Waclawik then put the car in reverse and, after the two jumped out of the truck, he drove forward and hit Taylor.

Taylor, with the help of a friend, limped to a nearby clinic where a doctor called for an ambulance. To Taylor's astonishment, the medical crew that arrived included Waclawik. Taylor, who suffered three broken ribs, a bruised lung and some facial lacerations, was then taken to a hospital where he eventually singled out Waclawik as his attacker.

Waclawik is scheduled to appear in court on September 9, according to a Grant County court clerk.