OFFBEAT NEWS:

Balloon Has Remained Inflated For 17-Years

Zachary Starr is getting ready to celebrate his 18th birthday and there’s one decoration that will definitely be on hand: a helium balloon bought to mark his entrance into the world.

That’s right, the balloon is still completely inflated, 18-years after it was originally purchased. Most helium balloons generally deflate within two weeks, not two decades.

“It is exactly the same size as when it was blown up – it was one of the small ones you can buy and it just has not changed,” Zachary’s mom Louise Preece explains. “It is a bit tatty now, but we have always kept it and we are going to leave it and see how long it lasts.”

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Costume Jewelry Ends Up Selling For Twice What Was Expected

Remember when we told you about the ring bought for $13 that ended up being worth about $450-thousand? Well the ring hit the auction block and ended up going for almost twice that.

In the end, the ring was purchased as international trade within the industry for a whopping $847-thousand. What’s more, a new owner could bump up its value even more.

“The new owner is likely to re-cut it into a modern diamond that will emit even more sparkle and potentially be worth a multiple of today’s price,” diamond expert Tobias Kormind explains. “I’m convinced the [$13] ring was once owned by royalty or a person of great wealth, because it originates from the 1800s – before the discovery of modern diamond mines and a time when very few diamonds were available.”

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Man Broke Into Apartment With Help From The Police

Jason Burns is a crafty criminal. The 29-year-old from Wales told police he was locked out of his friend’s apartment, where he claimed to be staying. Burns forced himself in, and the prosecutor in the case claims local police helped, which the department denies.

Either way, Burns plot was found out after he left the house with a stolen passport and cash. It turns out it was actually Burns’ second burglary in 24 hours. He pled guilty to the break in and cocaine possession and was hit with a three-year jail sentence.

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STUPID CRIMINALS:

Threats fly over onions:

Make a mental note, Yuba Sharma does not like onions. The 43-year-old from Rochester, New York is accused of making drunken threats to shoot the owner of a Pittsburgh restaurant after Sharma discovered their were onions in his food. The restaurant owner and another employee confronted him and called police…which is when Sharma pulled his pants down and exposed himself. Probably not surprisingly, police say he resisted arrest and had to be lifted and carried to a police cruiser.

Don’t call 911 looking for a ride to Hooters:

Jonathan Hinkle knows what he wants and he’s going after it. In this case, the 28-year-old called Merritt Island, Florida police and explained he needed a ride to Hooters because his grandmother had had a stroke in the restaurant’s parking lot. Hinkle ended up getting a ride to the local jail after a three-hour search for this sick grandma only turned up Hinkle’s healthy grandparent at another location. He’s now facing a misuse of 911 charge.