Greek police smash violent doughnut ring

THESSALONIKI, Greece — It took an undercover operation, but Greek police have blown a hole in a ring of alleged crooks who had cornered the doughnut market in a beach resort.

It started with complaints that two Bulgarian men and a former Greek wrestling champion were using violence to choke off the trade by other doughnut vendors on Paliouri beach in the Halkidiki peninsula near Thessaloniki.

So an undercover officer posed as a doughnut seller, police said Tuesday, and he was attacked, leading to the arrest of the three aggressive doughnut sellers.

As a result, they have been charged with blackmail and fraud. They also were charged with food safety violations after police found they had stashed their product in an abandoned hotel that was open to the elements and used by bathers as a toilet.  —Associated Press,  08.24.11, 08:37 AM EDT  

Butts waives hearing in Boob murder case

If this is a prank (the Centre Daily Times is  the paper of record of  State College, Pa.), I’m going to be really annoyed.     The Comments section is particularly riveting, with one heroic soul trying to convince the rest of us that some things just aren’t funny.

Man with dead weasel accused of assault

HOQUIAM, Wash. — Police say a man was carrying a dead weasel when he burst into an apartment and assaulted a man in Washington state.

The victim asked, “Why are you carrying a weasel?” Police said the attacker answered, “It’s not a weasel, it’s a marten,” then punched him in the nose and fled.

The attacker was apparently looking for his girlfriend and had gone to her former boyfriend’s apartment Monday where the victim was a guest.

KXRO reports he left the carcass behind.

Police later found the 33-year-old Hoquiam man arguing with his girlfriend at another location and arrested him after a fight.

He said he had found the marten dead near Hoquiam, but police don’t know why he carried it with him.

A marten is a member of the weasel family.

Also:

Punch To Nose After Dead Weasel Question

Dead weasel at centre of alleged assault

Police: Assault suspect mistook marten for mink