OFFBEAT NEWS:

Joe Biden Meets His Puppy Counterpart

Some elected officials have buildings and streets named in their honor. Joe Biden has a golden retriever puppy. While visiting Washington D.C., human Biden met his canine counterpart and even snapped a few photos.

“I named the dog Biden just because he is probably my favorite politician and favorite elected official,” Sydney, Biden’s owner, tells BuzzFeed News. “I really respect Joe Biden even though I don’t necessarily align with him politically.”

Sydney says that the former veep was the person most excited about the dog, adding “as soon as I told him, his face lit up.” The pair snapped a few photos and the puppy gave Joe some kisses as a goodbye.

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Police Dog Nabs Three Suspects In 90 Minutes

Spencer the police dog might be the best officer Oregon’s Clackmas County Sheriff department has. In just 90-minutes, the six-year K9 veteran was able to bring down three different suspects.

Spencer started off his day by finding Austin J. Kollas, a 21-year-old wanted for stealing a car. About an hour later, he picked up Timothy C. Elmore, a 41-year-old wanted on parole-violation. He finished off his very busy morning by helping to capture Lonnette M. Denison who had warrants for her arrest on charges ranging from Theft to Possession of a Controlled Substance.

“It’s a rare feat for a Sheriff’s Office K9 to get that number of captures in such a short time frame,” Sergeant Boone, the police pooch’s handler, says. “For Spencer and I, that was a new record.” No word on if Spencer had a bone waiting for him back at the station.

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Juvenile Offenders Sentenced To Shakespeare

In Massachusetts, juvenile offenders might be sentenced to time at a detention center, or they may be sentenced to “Hamlet.” For the last 17 years, ‘Shakespeare in the Courts’ works to have lower level offenders learn and perform the Bard instead of serving time.

The six-week program is intended to teach these pint sized criminals to learn to respect the feelings of others, fulfill a commitment and feel a sense of pride. Over the years, only a handful have dropped out or quit.

This isn’t the only Shakespeare related program in the criminal system, however. Jails across the country offer similar options to incarcerated men and women. The goal there is to boost confidence and literacy amongst the inmates.

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STUPID CRIMINALS:

Man checks out of the hospital, steals an ambulance:

Donald Winkler was not satisfied with the care he was receiving at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, New York. So naturally, the 84-year-old checked himself out and stole an ambulance. He was found at a nearby 7-Eleven and admitted to stealing the vehicle. Winkler was taken back to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and charged second-degree grand larceny.

Student leaves baby alligators:

Yifan Sun decided to get creative with his pet choice and is now taking care of five baby alligators. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old international student from China is also a bit forgetful and somehow let his pets got out in the back of a taxi. Animal control met Sun’s taxi in Augusta, Maine and charged him with importing or possessing wildlife without a permit. It’s unclear what happened to the baby gators.

Man accidentally texts prosecutor trying to set up drug deal:

Here’s yet another example of a wrong number ending in criminal charges. John Raimondo wanted to trade marijuana for heroin and made the mistake of texting Pennsylvania Assistant District Attorney Jill Matthews to set up an “obvious” drug deal. To make matters worse, 29-year-old Raimondo then sent her a photo of a plastic bag containing a green substance on a scale. Raimondo was arrested at the supposed drug swap outside a shopping center in Edwardsville. To make matters worse, he didn’t know up for his hearing, so police are now looking extra hard for him.