OFFBEAT NEWS

Florida Offering T-Shirts To People Who Catch Pythons

The Florida Wildlife Commission is very determined to get rid of pythons. After asking professionals, they’re going straight to the average Joe for help catching the potentially deadly creatures.

The FWC has launched the “Python Pickup Program” which offers incentives to people who catch one of the serpents in the wild. Aside from a free t-shirt, amateur snake wranglers will be entered to win a variety of prizes…including a $100 gas gift card.

This isn’t the first time the FWC has tried a program like this. The main difference between “Python Challenge” roundups held in 2013 and 2016? This time you’re not required to get any training before attempting to grab a snake.

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Man Slugs Hospital Worker Over Dead Rabbit

Adam Louis does not know how to handle either loss or his own anger. The 45-year-old was at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City when he was told his pet rabbit had died. Naturally he then socked a female hospital employee, rendering her unconscious.

It’s unclear if he was a patient or visiting the hospital. It’s also unclear how his beloved rabbit died. What is clear? Louis has got some legal woes ahead.

For now, Louis is facing a felony assault charge.

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Couple Becomes First To Get Married At The Spam Museum

Mark Benson really, really loves Spam. So much in fact, the English man legally changed his middle name to “I Love Spam.” With that in mind, Mark’s now wife Anne Mousley surprised her boo with the wedding venue of a lifetime: Minnesota’s Spam Museum.

Hormel, the company that owns Spam, heard Mark and Anne’s story and foot the bill for the entire event. There was the traditional cake, but also “spamitizers,” which included doughnuts, cheesy pastry bites and sushi, all of which contained the canned meat.

That’s not the end of their Spam story, either. Hormel is also sending Mark and Anne to Waikiki, Hawaii for the 15th annual Spam Jam food festival for their honeymoon. There will be live music, Spam merchandise and food stalls cooking up innovative recipes. The best part? The ‘I Love Spam’ Bensons will be presented as Spam Jam’s guests of honor.

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STUPID CRIMINALS:

Man grows pot because he thought it would be legal soon:

Michael Marshall is someone who likes to plan ahead. The St. Albans, Vermont man was caught with 13 full-grown marijuana plants and 27 smaller plants after police tried to confront him about a hunting violation. Marshall’s excuse? He thought pot would be legal soon and he wanted to get a head start on future sales. Marshall will have to go to court next month.

Two men tried to smuggle $380K worth of cocaine in their pants:

A pair of men decided on unusual, and criminal, outfit choices for their flight from Domincan Republic to New York City. When they arrived at JFK airport, each man was searched and between the two, they had 13 pounds of cocaine taped to their legs. That’s a combined street value total of $380-thousand, all stuffed in their pants. Now Ariel Garcia and Elvin Montilla-Sosa are facing federal drug smuggling charges.

Man robs the same store twice:

Robbers should never return to the scene of the crime, especially when it’s to rob the place again. Ryan Mulligan held Champlain Farms employees at knifepoint and fled with cash. When St. Johnsbury, Vermont police caught up with the 25-year-old, he admitted to robbing the store. He also admitted to robbing the same store a week earlier. No word of the amount of therapy the farm employees need now.