Judge: Animal shelter to keep tiger seized from Houston home
Houston (AP) – A judge has ruled that an animal shelter can keep a tiger that was rescued from an abandoned Houston home. The Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison has looked after the tiger since February, when some people entered the house to smoke marijuana and found the big cat. Authorities say the 350 pound (160 kilogram) tiger was improperly secured in a small cage, and was sitting on hay and its own waste. Houston police believe Brittany Garza is the tiger’s owner and have filed a civil lawsuit accusing her of animal cruelty. She refuses to explain how she obtained the tiger. The Houston Chronicle reports that the judge ordered Garza to pay about $11,600 to cover the cost of the tiger’s care. Garza’s lawyer declined comment.
Snakes in office force Liberia’s president to work from home
Monrovia, Liberia (AP) — A spokesman says Liberia’s president is working from home after two snakes were found in the building that contains his office. Deputy press secretary Smith Toby tells The Associated Press that former international soccer star and President George Weah was told to stay away until the Foreign Affairs building can be fumigated. He is expected back in the office on Monday. The black snakes were seen this week briefly emerging from a hole in a wall of the building’s reception area. Liberia is home to poisonous snakes and officials are not taking chances. The deputy press secretary says the fumigation has begun to take care of “crawling and creeping things.” Weah, who was FIFA’s 1995 player of the year, assumed the presidency in January 2018.
Bald eagle rescued from railroad tracks, trains delayed
Landover, Md. (AP) – Some commuters in the nation’s capital faced delays after an injured bald eagle was found on railroad tracks. The bird was spotted during the start of Wednesday evening’s rush on Washington D.C. Metro tracks in Landover, Maryland. It was close to the electrified third rail. Metro single-tracked some trains and rerouted others while a rescue crew, including animal control personnel, recovered the eagle. The bird was taken to a rehabilitation center. There is no word on the extent of its injury or condition. Metro restored rail service nearly two hours later.
Man sues parents for getting rid of his vast porn collection
Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP) — An Indiana man is suing his parents for getting rid of his vast pornography collection, which he estimates is worth $29,000. The 40-year-old man last week filed a lawsuit in federal court in Michigan, where he moved in with his parents in 2016 following a divorce. He says that when he moved out 10 months later, they delivered his things to his new home in Muncie, Indiana, but that his 12 boxes of pornographic films and magazines were missing. His parents admit they dumped the porn, which included titles such as “Frisky Business” and “Big Bad Grannys.” The man filed a complaint with police, but the Ottawa County prosecutor declined to press charges. The lawsuit includes an email excerpt from the man’s father, who told his son, “I did you a big favor by getting rid of all this stuff.” The man is seeking triple financial damages of roughly $87,000.
Police: Pair made laxative cookies for striking workers
Uhrichsville, Ohio (AP) — Police say a couple made laxative-laced cookies for striking school employees because they were tired of the noise from the picket line near their home. Authorities in eastern Ohio say none of the striking workers ate the sugar cookies, but the couple was charged with contaminating the treats. Police say the pair complained on Facebook about drivers honking in support of the striking bus drivers, cooks and custodians. Investigators say they also made a video showing the laxative pills being mixed into the cookie batter. The strike in the Claymont School District in Tuscarawas (tus-kuh-RAH’-wus) County is in its third week. Authorities say Bo Cosens and Rachel Sharrock appeared in court Tuesday to face several charges. Sharrock’s attorney declined to comment Friday. Court records didn’t list an attorney for Cosens.
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