Quick Takes

Dog-sniffing bomb squad

Someone’s dinner prompted the evacuation of a Florence, Ala., post office on Jan. 6. Bomb technicians used a robot to remove some suspicious packages left near the post office—until one of the bags ripped open. Inside were hot dogs wrapped in aluminum foil. Police in Florence did not arrest anyone in connection with the unattended frankfurters.

Highway robbers

Moscow authorities have accused a top Russian prison official of an unusual type of theft: stealing a road. According to investigators, Alexander Protopopov, the deputy chief of the federal prison system, oversaw the dismantling of a reinforced concrete highway in a northern Russian region known as the Komi Republic. Over the course of a year, Protopopov allegedly cut up a 30-mile stretch of highway into more than 7,000 slabs, and ultimately sold them. It’s not the first road theft that has occurred in the forested Komi Republic: In 2013 police accused a resident of stealing 82 concrete slabs from a one-mile stretch.

Cold trail

Police officers investigating a series of robberies near Denver found their job much simpler than expected. Responding on Jan. 8 to a series of break-in reports, authorities in Englewood, Colo., discovered footprints in the snow at one of the crime scenes. The footprints led police from one crime scene to the next, and eventually to a door at a nearby apartment complex. There, officers quickly identified and arrested a suspect.

Off the hook

The nation’s longest-running standoff came to an end outside Dallas on Jan. 6 when Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutt declared that charges against John Joe Gray had been officially dropped. According to police, Gray bit and assaulted a police officer in 1999 and was charged with a felony. After posting bail, Gray retreated to his 47-acre ranch in Henderson County and refused to attend his hearing. When law enforcement gathered to serve an arrest warrant, Gray and his family informed the sheriff’s office they were armed and prepared to fire upon anyone entering the property. Wary of the threat, the Henderson County sheriff opted to wait out Gray and catch him when he left the ranch. But Gray never left. And when the district attorney left office 14 months ago, the charges were dropped. But no one informed Nutt until Jan. 6, when he declared Gray was finally free to leave his property. The sheriff told WFAA that he considers it time served. “Joe Gray has been in prison out there, in my opinion, for 15 years.”

Pant-leg python

Police in Portland, Ore., are looking for a bold thief who stole a snake out of a pet store—by stuffing the reptile down his pants. Authorities say the man entered A to Z Pets in Portland on Jan. 8 and walked out with a 2-foot-long black pastel ball python hidden in his trousers. The man may not have realized he was under a surveillance camera when he absconded with the pet: Store owner Christin Bjugan hopes the footage helps police catch the thief and bring back her hungry, $200 python.

Suspicious scooter

Security officials at a shopping center in the London borough of Barnet apparently had safety in mind when they ordered a 96-year-old war veteran to stop leaving his mobility scooter unattended. In January, Frank Curtis, who helped liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during World War II, found a note on his scooter while shopping at The Spires. According to Curtis, the note instructed him to stop “dumping” his scooter outside of stores because it might be seen as a threat “in light of current world terrorist events.” After Curtis complained, Spires management sent him a letter of apology and entreated him to continue shopping.

Student driver

Police arrested a Hamilton, Ontario, teenager on Dec. 29 after he took his friends for a joyride on a stolen school bus. According to Hamilton authorities, the unidentified 17-year-old stole the bus prior to Christmas Day because someone “needed a ride home.” After that, the teen hid the bus and on the evening of Dec. 29 decided to go cruising in it with his friends. Police charged the teen with possession of stolen property worth more than $5,000.

Aloha, Mr. Speaker

A Hawaii Democrat has made a special request to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan: Please allow members of Congress to observe Aloha Fridays. Rep. Mark Takai made his request to Ryan, a Republican, in early January, arguing that the House of Representatives ought to adopt the Hawaiian custom of allowing bright, loosefitting floral shirts at the end of each workweek. The official House dress code requires business attire while the legislative body is in session.

Love of selfie

An Ohio fugitive was unsatisfied with the poor-quality mug shot police circulated as they searched for him, so he offered the public a better photo. While on the lam in Florida, Donald “Chip” Pugh texted Lima, Ohio, police a selfie of him wearing sunglasses, seated in a car. He included the message, “Here is a better photo that one is terrible.” On their Facebook page, Lima police posted the selfie on Jan. 6 and thanked Pugh. With the help of the updated photo, authorities arrested 45-year-old Pugh in Century, Fla., on Jan. 12. He faces extradition to Ohio on charges of failure to appear in court.