Fans of fright this Halloween may want to travel to Summertown, Tennessee, to see if they can become the first visitor to make it all the way through the haunted house experience called McKamey Manor. The rewards are compelling -- along with notoriety, a person who completes the tour will receive $20,000. But the demands are great, too: Along with bringing a bag of dog food for owner Russ McKamey's dogs, you need to be at least 21 years old, watch a two-hour video of other contestants failing, complete a sports physical with a doctor's letter, pass a background check, bring proof of medical insurance, sign a 40-page waiver and pass a drug test. WFLA reports McKamey doesn't allow cursing during the visit; if you utter a curse word, he'll subtract money from the $20,000 prize. But don't despair: McKamey does have a "safe" phrase for those who want to bail out: "You really don't want to do this." You're right. We don't. [WFLA, 10/22/2019]

Recent Alarming Headline

The San Diego Humane Society was summoned to a convenience store parking lot in Del Mar, California, on Oct. 8 after law enforcement officers responded to calls of concern about a van parked there, near one of San Diego's toniest neighborhoods. Officers found a woman living in the van with more than 300 pet rats. Humane Society Capt. Danee Cook told The San Diego Union-Tribune, "This was not a cruelty case. This was a relinquishment." The unidentified owner said she had started with two pet rats, but the situation had gotten out of control, and she agreed to surrender all of them, many of which were juveniles or pregnant. Officers spent several days tearing the van apart and recovered 320 animals, about half of which were put up for adoption. Meanwhile, the woman has found a place to live with the help of a GoFundMe page. [San Diego Union-Tribune, 10/17/2019]

The Name Game

You probably thought Tupac Shakur died in 1996 in Las Vegas. Little did you suspect there's ANOTHER Tupac A. Shakur walking the streets -- or pacing the jail cells -- of Washington County, Tennessee. Shakur, 40, was arrested Oct. 19 after he threatened Johnson City police officers with a knife, Fox News reported. Police were able to wrestle Shakur to the ground; they also found a syringe and bags of methamphetamine and charged him with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and simple possession of meth and unlawful drug paraphernalia. It is unclear whether Shakur's name was his from birth or whether he changed it to match the rapper's. [Fox News, 10/21/2019]

Unclear on the Concept

Andrew Blackwell, 25, has his sights set on a particular home in Salt Lake City, Utah, and apparently will stop at nothing to make it his own. Since late August, Blackwell, a neighbor of the property, has been repeatedly entering the home, according to court papers, even after being told by police that he does not have authority to do so. He has been doing work around the house, including removing trees and shrubbery, installing new locks and telling other neighbors he had bought the house. Blackwell told police he offered the elderly owner of the home, who lives elsewhere, $90,000 for her property, which has a market value of $363,000. Court documents state that after the owner refused the offer, he told her he would "forge any document needed to get the property from her," according to KUTV. Finally on Oct. 18, police issued a warrant for Blackwell's arrest, on charges of burglary, forgery, stalking, theft, three counts of criminal trespassing and criminal mischief. [KUTV, 10/20/2019]

Questionable Judgment

On-air reporter Angel Cardenas with KMAX TV in Sacramento, California, was fired on Oct. 21 after a bizarre incident at the Sacramento International Auto Show the day before. During a broadcast before the show opened, Cardenas climbed on at least two of the privately owned show cars and dinged another when he opened a door against it. "No one is out here to tell me which car I can't go in ... so I'm just gonna live on the wild side," he told viewers before posing atop a Ford Thunderbird. "I feel like a kid in a candy store," he said, according to Fox News. The producer of the auto show contacted the general manager of the TV station and was told Cardenas had been terminated. [Fox News, 10/21/2019]

Overreaction

Truck driver Cesar Schmitz of Eneas Marques, Brazil, was just trying to make his wife happy when he launched an effort to rid their backyard of cockroaches. "She ... begged me to destroy their nest under the ground once and for all," Schmitz, 48, explained. After chemicals failed to do the job, The Daily Mail reported, Schmitz decided setting fire to the hole would work, so on Oct. 18, he poured a capful of gasoline into the hole and tossed in a lighted match. After a couple of misfires, caught on his home's security camera, a match landed, and Schmitz and his dogs are seen ducking for cover as the resulting explosion sends turf and lawn furniture flying through the air. The gasoline itself had ignited but it had also set off the highly combustible methane from the bugs' venom that had accumulated in an air pocket under the grass. "I wish I'd thought this through," Schmitz said. He admitted it made a huge mess, but said, ultimately, his scheme was a success: The cockroaches are gone. [Daily Mail, 10/22/2019]

Wait, What?

Twenty-year-old Cody Christopher Meader of St. Petersburg, Florida, entered a Pinellas Park Target store on Oct. 22, where he sought a large Olaf stuffed doll from the Disney movie "Frozen," the Smoking Gun reported. Meader placed the doll on the floor and climbed on to have his way with poor Olaf, according to the criminal complaint. After finishing, he returned the character to the shelf and proceeded to the toy department, where he "selected a large unicorn stuffed animal" and repeated his offensive behavior. Meader was detained in the store and later charged with criminal mischief. Meader's father told police that his son "def has a history of this type of behavior." Meader posted bond and was released from custody. [Smoking Gun, 10/23/2019]

Inexplicable

Stacey Wagers, 45, of Tampa, Florida, is suing the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach over an incident that happened in November 2018. She and a friend were celebrating her birthday at the hotel's Maritana Grille when they observed a waiter pouring a liquid over a nearby table's dessert that made it "smoke." They commented to the waiter that the effect was cool, and he poured liquid nitrogen into their water glasses -- which they then drank. "Of course I didn't think it was dangerous at all," Wagers told NBC News. "He had just poured it on a dessert." But the lawsuit filed Oct. 11 says Wagers immediately fell ill, eventually having to have her gall bladder and parts of her stomach removed where the chemical had burned the tissue. Her attorney says she will have lifelong digestion issues. [NBC News, 10/13/2019]

Least Competent Criminal

A quick-thinking employee of a Boost Mobile store in Philadelphia helped police catch a thief on Oct. 22. According to CBS3, the employee was in the store alone when a 19-year-old man entered, pulled a gun and demanded money. "Can you wait a few minutes?" the employee responded. "I give you money. I have another employee outside and he took the key but after that I give you," he explained. The robber agreed, and the employee left the store, locking the door from the outside and trapping the criminal inside until a SWAT team arrived. The frustrated suspect shot his gun through the glass door, but no one was hurt. [CBS3, 10/23/2019]

Near closing time Oct. 13 in a pub in Ruinerwold, Netherlands, a "completely confused" and "unkempt" 25-year-old man appeared with a strange story to tell. Pub owner Chris Westerbeek told Dutch media the young man ordered five beers and "said he was the oldest (of six siblings) and wanted to end the way they were living," according to The New York Times. The man had walked to the pub from a farm outside town, where police found five adult siblings, the youngest of whom was 18, had been living in a secret basement, accessed by a hidden door behind a cupboard, for nine years. They were apparently "waiting for the end of time," police said, and the younger siblings were unaware there were other humans outside the basement. The family, including the father, who also lived on the farm, survived on a large garden and a few animals. NL Times reported police arrested a 58-year-old Austrian man, believed to a tenant of the farm and identified only as Josef B., initially for refusing to cooperate with the investigation and later charged him with holding the family against their will; it was unclear where the mother is. At press time, the story was still unfolding. [New York Times, 10/16/2019; NL Times, 10/16/2019]

I'd Walk a Mile ... or 350

Tommy Lee Jenkins, 32, recently moved away from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Whitestown, Indiana, but on Oct. 1, he struck up an online relationship with "Kylee," a supposed 14-year-old girl in Neenah, Wisconsin, according to the Justice Department. As their correspondence progressed, he requested sexually explicit photos of Kylee and made plans to engage in sexual behavior, court documents said, but when Kylee refused to come to Indiana, Jenkins set out toward Neenah -- on foot. The Oshkosh Northwestern reported that waiting for him at the end of his 371-mile trek were Winnebago County Sheriff's deputies (one of whom was "Kylee") and FBI agents, who arrested him for using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Jenkins faced other child sexual assault charges in 2011 and 2012 and had been sentenced to probation. [Oshkosh Northwestern, 10/11/2019]

Ironies

-- While patrolling a Bath and Body Works store in Waukesha, Wisconsin, an unnamed security guard let the boredom get to him. Around 2 a.m. on Oct. 11, he slipped his handcuffs on -- then realized he'd left the keys at home. Forced to call police, who responded and freed him from his restraints, the bored guard then hid the cuffs from himself so he wouldn't be tempted to put them on again. According to WDJT, he told police it wasn't the first time he had handcuffed himself without having the keys. [WDJT, 10/11/2019]

-- Locksmiths at the Timpson shop in Edinburgh, Scotland, drew a crowd and withstood some ribbing after they locked themselves out of their store on Oct. 14, according to the Scottish Sun. Fortunately, one of the locksmiths had a toolbox with him, and he was able to legally break back into the shop. [Scottish Sun, 10/14/2019]

Sweet Revenge

During the summer of 2018, someone robbed 61-year-old Akio Hatori of Tokyo, Japan, of his bicycle saddle. He was so angered by the theft, he told police, that he decided to become a serial thief himself -- until he was caught on surveillance video on Aug. 29 and later arrested. Police searching his home said they found 159 bicycle seats. "I started stealing out of revenge," Hatori told police, according to Kyoto News. "I wanted others to know the feeling." [Kyodo News, 10/3/2019]

Ewwwww!

Halloween came a little early to Nick Lestina's home in Bagley, Iowa. The Lestinas have lived next door to Dahl's Custom Meat Locker for 10 years without incident, but early in October, they discovered almost five inches of animal blood, fat and bones had flooded their basement. Lestina said it would have risen higher if not for his sump pump. He approached the meat locker next door for help, but, he told WHO TV, "They say it's not their fault and told me 'good luck.'" Lestina reached out to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which investigated and found that the business had slaughtered hogs and cattle on Oct. 3 and flushed fluids down the floor drain, which is probably connected with the Lestinas' drain. The family of seven has had to move out of the home while trying to resolve the cleanup issue. "No one wants to see that, smell that," Lestina said. "I would't want that for anybody." [WHO, 10/14/2019]

Awesome!

It was W.C. Fields who said, "Never work with animals or children." Russian President Vladimir Putin was reminded of that warning on Oct. 14 as he visited King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The Daily Mail reported that Putin brought along a gyrfalcon named Alpha for the king, and as everyone admired the bird during the ceremonial exchange of gifts, it chose that moment to take aim on the plush royal carpet and, shall we say, leave its mark. Hunting with birds of prey is one of the favorite pastimes of Saudi royalty, and the birds are highly prized. [Daily Mail, 10/15/2019]

21st-Century Religion

Hoping to attract tech-savvy young Catholics to traditional rituals, the Vatican has released the eRosary, a wearable device connected to an app available for $110, reported engadget. Worn as a bracelet, the device is activated by making the sign of the cross and features 10 beads and a data-storing "smart cross," which will help the devout pray a standard rosary, a contemplative rosary or a thematic rosary and keeps track of each rosary prayed. The app also downloads health information from the bracelet. [engadget, 10/16/2019]

Police Report

-- Anna Lindo, 34, of Bloomfield, Connecticut, was arraigned in Hartford Superior Court on Oct. 15 on charges that she bit off her ex-partner's finger and then bragged about it on Facebook, posting a video of the severed finger. Her victim told police that on Oct. 13, he had been trying to ward her off as she attacked him with a brick when she took a bite from his right middle finger. Lindo's mother found the finger after police had taken her into custody, but it was too late to reattach it, reported the Connecticut Post. Lindo was charged with first-degree assault and disorderly conduct. [CTPost, 10/16/2019]

-- In Eldorado Hills, California, homeowner Matthew Eschrich woke up late on Oct. 12, saw a sensor light on next to his garage and went downstairs to investigate. When he heard rumbling, he realized there was an intruder and called 911. Just then, his sister-in-law, who also lives in the home, called to say she had just pulled into the garage and saw a man running away, "wearing just a bra and panties," KXTV reported. The intruder was later identified as Shaun McGuire, a 37-year-old transient, who was taken into custody and charged with burglary, indecent exposure and trespassing. [KXTV, 10/14/2019]

Jennifer Colyne Hall, 48, of Toney, Alabama, was distraught when she called the Limestone County Sheriff's Office dispatch on Oct. 2, so officers were sent to call on her. Public information officer Steven Young told The News Courier the officers first approached Hall's landlord, who told them she had been "acting strangely" and hinted she might be on drugs. When the officers spoke to Hall, she produced a clear bag from a baby wipes container and told them, "I want this dope tested" because she feared the methamphetamines in the bag had possibly been tainted with another drug. Asked if she had consumed the drugs, Hall said she had, but couldn't remember when. She was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and was held at the Limestone County Jail. [News Courier, 10/3/2019]

Inexplicable

-- A front-door camera in McDowell County, North Carolina, twice captured a bold loiterer on the home's porch: a naked man. Sheriff's officers arrested Denny Lynn Dover, 45, in early October after identifying him by his distinctive tattoos, The McDowell News reported. Dover had visited the home in April and again on Oct. 3, when he attempted to break in. He was charged with first-degree burglary and held on $50,000 bond. Dover isn't new to a life of crime: He also has convictions for arson, drug possession, larceny, peeping and breaking in. [McDowell News, 10/7/2019]

-- The Louisville Courier Journal reported that Knox County (Kentucky) Sheriff's deputies arrested Barrett L. Sizemore, 48, of Heidrick, on Oct. 4 for theft of a "honey wagon" -- a septic cleaning truck -- in Barbourville. The truck went missing on Oct. 2, and authorities located it in a barn in Laurel County, not far from where Sizemore was arrested. He is being held on a $10,000 bond. [Louisville Courier Journal, 10/5/2019]

Unintended Consequences

-- An unidentified 89-year-old woman who has had previous trouble with trespassers on her remote property outside Piru, California, was hospitalized on Oct. 5 after her attempt to shoo away a group of nine people went wrong. After spotting the interlopers, she warned them away and fired two rounds from her rifle into a hillside to "emphasize her point," Ventura County Sheriff's Office Capt. Eric Buschow told the Los Angeles Times. As the group retreated, the woman pursued them in her pickup truck to be sure they were leaving and pointed her gun at them. One man tried to talk with her, but she couldn't hear him, so he opened the door of her truck and grabbed the gun barrel. "In the process," Buschow said, "she fell out of the truck (and) unbeknownst to (the man), the truck was still in gear, so the rear wheel drove over her leg, continued to roll and went off a cliff." She was airlifted to a hospital with injuries to her ankle, and neither party wanted to press charges, so no arrests were made. [Los Angeles Times, 10/7/2019]

-- An unidentified man in Phoenix became angry at his upstairs neighbors for making too much noise on Oct. 6. He first tried banging on their door around 11:20 p.m., but then returned to his apartment and fired several shots into his ceiling -- one of which apparently ricocheted and hit him in the face, according to the Arizona Republic. Although no one else was injured, the shooter was taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition. [Arizona Republic, 10/7/2019]

Overreactions

An apparent dispute over pigeons at Pershing Field in Jersey City, New Jersey, has resulted in Charles Lowy, 69, facing eight years in prison for reckless manslaughter, according to The Jersey Journal. In April 2018, Lowy stabbed former schoolteacher Anthony Bello, 77, to death after they argued about Lowy's habit of feeding pigeons in the park. Lowy's attorney called Bello the "mayor of the block" and said he was the aggressor in the altercation, and that Lowy had stabbed him in self-defense. Hudson County Superior Court Judge Sheila Venable sentenced Lowy on Oct. 4; he must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. [The Jersey Journal, 10/7/2019]

Oops!

-- Tina Springer, 44, was the passenger in a car driven by Brent Parks, 79, as they stopped to let a train pass in Enid, Oklahoma, on Oct. 3. Parks' yellow Labrador retriever chose that moment to jump from the back seat onto the center console, causing a .22 caliber handgun stored underneath to discharge and strike Springer in the left thigh. The Enid News & Eagle reported that Parks, whom Springer is a caretaker for, told police he doesn't usually carry the weapon loaded. Springer was taken to a hospital for treatment. [Enid News & Eagle, 10/3/2019]

-- Homeowner Linda Taylor-Whitt of Lynwood, Illinois, and her family returned home from a birthday dinner on Oct. 5 to find "a wheel coming through my washroom ceiling" in an upstairs bathroom. Taylor-Whitt, who lives about a mile from Lansing Municipal Airport, told the Chicago Tribune she "didn't know what kind of wheel it was at first. I guessed it was an airplane wheel," she said. But it was from a helicopter, according to Amy Summers of SummerSkyz Inc., a helicopter flight school in Lansing. When Summers heard about the incident, she knew she'd found the ground-handling wheel she'd been missing, and called Taylor-Whitt to apologize. The wheel had apparently been left on one of the company's helicopters during flight and fell off. Taylor-Whitt was relieved the damage wasn't worse: "I am glad -- thank you, Lord -- that it was a wheel instead of a plane because it could've been so bad." [Chicago Tribune, 10/8/2019]

Bright Idea

Springfield, Missouri, authorities have come up with a clever campaign to curb pet waste in the downtown area, the Associated Press reported. Piles of dog poop are being tagged with recycled paper flags sporting messages such as: "Is this your turd? 'Cuz that's absurd," and "This is a nudge to pick up the fudge." The city noted it spends $7,500 a year to pick up 25 pounds of waste per week from downtown parks and parking lots. [Associated Press, 10/10/2019]

Awesome!

Open your wallet: If you have enough scratch, you can buy a customized pair of Nike Air Max 97s dubbed "Jesus Shoes" from a Brooklyn, New York, company called MSCHF. Introduced online Oct. 8, the shoes have 60ccs of holy water from the Jordan River injected into the soles "so you can literally walk on water," noted Cosmopolitan, a crucifix in the laces, red insoles harkening to Vatican traditions, and a Matthew 14:25 inscription. They are also scented with frankincense and sport a godly white and light blue colorway. The Jesus Shoes originally sold for $1,425, but are now fetching anywhere from $2,000 to upwards of $11,000. [Cosmopolitan, 10/9/2019]

Least Competent Driver

In downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Oct. 8, an unnamed elderly driver managed to flip her Honda Accord and injure herself, her passenger and several pedestrians while trying to ... parallel park. According to CTV News, as she tried to back into a parking spot, the driver accelerated, jumping the curb and slamming into an immigration office before coming to rest on the sidewalk. Vancouver Police Sgt. Aaron Roed called the incident "a strange accident" and wished all the injured "a speedy recovery." [CTV News, 10/8/2019]

Chutzpah!

Sure, there are probably plenty of stolen goods for sale on Facebook Marketplace, but according to authorities in Oklahoma City, Vicki Treaster, 36, went big: She's been charged with stealing a metal garage and posting it for sale for $1,500. Coincidentally, the original owner was browsing Marketplace when he saw Treaster's ad, which included photos of two people taking his building apart, and notified police. KOCO reported Treaster changed her story several times when questioned by police about how she came to own the building, according to court documents. Treaster was charged in early October with grand larceny. [KOCO, 10/8/2019]