In
Redondo Beach, Calif., a police officer arrested a driver after a short chase
and charged him with drunk driving. Officer Joseph Fonteno's suspicions were
aroused when he saw the white Mazda MX-7 rolling down Pacific Coast Highway with
half of a traffic-light pole, including the lights, lying across its hood. The
driver had hit the pole on a median strip and simply kept driving. According to
Fonteno, when the driver was asked about the pole, he said, "It came with
the car when I bought it."
The
record for the world's worst drivers is a toss-up between two candidates: First,
a 75-year-old man who received 10 traffic tickets, drove on the wrong side of
the road four times, committed four hit-and-run offences, an caused six
accidents, all within 20 minutes on October 15, 1966. Second, a 62-year-old
woman who failed her driving test 40 times before passing it in August, 1970 (by
that time, she had spent over $700 in lessons, and could no longer afford to buy
a car).
Peter
Karpin, a German espionage agent in World War I, was seized by French
Intelligence agents in 1914 as soon as he entered the country. Keeping his
capture a secret, the French sent faked reports from Karpin to Germany and
intercepted the agent's wages and expense money until Karpin escaped in 1917.
With those funds the French purchased an automobile, which, in 1919, in occupied
Rurh, accidentally ran down and killed a man, who proved to be Peter Karpin.
The
Belgium news agency Belga reported in November that a man suspected of robbing a
jewellery store in Liege said he couldn't have done it because he was busy
breaking into a school at the same time. Police then arrested him for breaking
into the school.
A
lawyer defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defence: "My
client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling
articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole
individual for an offence committed by his limb." "Well put," the
judge replied. "Using your logic, I sentence the defendant's Arm to one
year's imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses." The
defendant smiled. With his lawyer's assistance he detached his artificial limb,
laid it on the bench, and walked out.