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In Portland, Ore., parking laws include police

Published: Jul 24, 2008

Portland police are not above the parking laws, even if they're hungry.

Officer Chadd Stensgaard, who parked his patrol car illegally while making a dinner-break stop at a Japanese restaurant, must pay a $35 fine, Traffic Court Judge Terry Hannon ruled Wednesday.

The infraction came to light thanks to Eric Bryant, who was at the restaurant with friends when Stensgaard parked in a curbside no-parking zone. Bryant, an attorney, filed a citizen complaint against the officer in March.

About five minutes after the officer arrived, Bryant walked up to him and told him he was parked illegally. "He told me he was allowed to do so," Bryant testified. "I responded, 'No, you're not.' I told him he was an officer of the law. He's not supposed to break the law. He's supposed to enforce the law." More

Jul 24, 2008

• Judge: Girl's name, Talula Does The Hula, won't do

A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it.

Jul 23, 2008

• Bubble burst? Off-Broadway show's suds stolen

The bubble might have burst for off-Broadway's "Gazillion Bubbles Show." Someone has stolen the show's specialized soapy bubble solution, which takes two months to make.

Jul 23, 2008

• Pet rabbit credited with saving couple from fire

A pet rabbit is credited with saving a couple from a fire that swept through their home in the southern city of Melbourne.

Jul 23, 2008

• 117 cats, raccoon, and rabbit found at Omaha home

Humane society workers have found 117 cats, a raccoon and a rabbit in a north Omaha house. The discovery came Wednesday after Council Bluffs, Iowa, police caught the 54-year-old woman who lives at the house reportedly stealing cat food. Officials say she smelled like cat urine.

Jul 23, 2008

• 'Pantyhose Bandit' causes sheer annoyance in Mass.

Dozens of pairs of pantyhose have been left near a Milford school bus stop - causing sheer annoyance in the neighborhood. The pantyhose - sometimes new, sometimes used - has been left on Camp Street for more than two years. They're almost always black and queen sized.

Jul 23, 2008

• Couple claim mysterious noise plagues their house

Bob and Leona Ehrfurth say the noise that's been plaguing them for two years sounds something like a rumbling motor, with a subtle vibration that won't quit. Then it stops - especially when they try to show city officials or acoustic experts what they're hearing.

Jul 23, 2008

• Stolen motorcycle found after 34 years in N.J.

Prosecutors say a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was stolen nearly 34 years ago in Rhode Island has surfaced in central New Jersey. The 1971 Sportster was purchased on eBay for $2,400 by Michael Meistrell of Cranford.

Jul 23, 2008

• Teacher lasts 20 hours on carnival ride, wins $1K

A Minnesota high school teacher has lasted 20 hours on a carnival ride to win the Ride the Tide Challenge at the Mall of America.

Jul 22, 2008

• R.I. police say man had 0.491 blood alcohol level

State police say they arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level was 0.491 percent - the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.

Jul 22, 2008

• RI cops arrest man with 0.491 blood alcohol level

State police say they arrested a man early Tuesday whose blood alcohol level was 0.491 percent - the highest ever recorded in Rhode Island for someone who wasn't dead.

Jul 22, 2008

• NY man earning $100K lived in company paint shed

A New York state report says a maintenance man who earned $100,000 last year working at a psychiatric center has been living for free in a paint shed on company grounds and even had his mail delivered there.

Jul 22, 2008

• Man finds second long python in Maine in a week

A man is having trouble sleeping since he found a python snake about 9 feet long under the engine of his pickup truck. Harley Burgess's shocking discovery Saturday is the second of its kind in less than a week in Maine.

Jul 22, 2008

• Woman runs sword into foot during Wiccan ceremony

A woman accidentally stabbed herself in the foot with a 3-foot-long sword while performing a Wiccan good luck ritual at a central Indiana cemetery.

Jul 22, 2008

• Wayward porcupine saved on interstate with shovel

A porcupine that wandered onto the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90 in Spokane and found itself trapped has been rescued by a Washington state transportation worker with a very long-handled shovel.

Jul 22, 2008

• Suspected thieves run out of gas at Goodwill store

Three men suspected of stealing from a Goodwill store in Cookeville ran out of gas before making it out of the parking lot, police say.

Jul 22, 2008

• Suspected bomb turns out to be string cheese

A piece of string cheese made to look like a bomb forced the temporary closure of a Centerville grocery store. Police were called to Dick's Market over the weekend for a report that a someone had left a device covered in duct tape near a dry ice cooler.

Jul 22, 2008

• Break-in suspects found asleep on stolen goods

Police say a trail of pillows and backpacks led to two sleeping men who were arrested after a department store break-in. Kyle Burress, 25, and Allen Pierce, 27, have been charged with second-degree burglary.

Jul 21, 2008

• Cable repairman taken for ride in cherry picker

A cable repairman fixing overhead lines in a cherry picker truck got a lift he wasn't expecting. Police said a Bakersfield man stole the Brighthouse Networks truck on Saturday while 50-year-old Curtis Bartell was elevated 25 feet in the air.

Jul 21, 2008

• Fired worker accused of trying to cut boss' power

Plainville police have arrested a Portland woman, accusing her of trying to retaliate against her former boss by having electricity cut off to his home. Police say a 33-year-old woman was fired June 25 from her job at a Glastonbury insurance-sales agency.

Jul 21, 2008

• Men sentenced for setting friend's crotch ablaze

Two practical jokers are behind bars for setting their passed-out drinking buddy's crotch ablaze while boozing in Grover Beach. Matthew Craig Pillers and Jack Brent Nicholas Keiffer pleaded no contest to a felony great bodily injury charge.

Jul 21, 2008

• Pastor gets into motorcycle crash - during service

A pastor brought out a dirt bike during a church service to demonstrate the concept of unity. Now he's demonstrating the concept of healing.

Jul 21, 2008

• Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.

Jul 21, 2008

• Man flees police in underwear after traffic stop

A western New York man who police say tore off his off clothes and fled after being pulled over in a routine traffic stop is now wearing a jail uniform.

Jul 21, 2008

• World Santa Claus Congress meets in Copenhagen

It's July - and the Christmas tree is lit, bells are jingling and jolly elves are doing "yula-hoops" on stage.

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