DETROIT (AP) - A homeless man searching for returnable bottles in a trash bin found 31 U.S. savings bonds worth nearly $21,000 in a bag of clothes.
Charles Moore, 59, took the bonds to a 24-hour walk-in homeless shelter, where a staffer tracked down the family of the man whose name was on the bonds.
"They belong to him," Moore told The Detroit News. "I did the right thing."
Ernest Lehto's family had given away many of his clothes shortly after his death in 2004.
How the bonds ended up in the trash bin is a mystery, but Lehto's family left Moore a $100 reward.
"What a good Samaritan," said Neil Lehto, who picked up the bonds Friday that had belonged to his late father.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) - A jury acquitted a man who had been charged with assault after authorities said an assistant prosecutor, police officer and courtroom bailiff got sick after shaking hands with him.
John Curtis Ridgeway, 42, was seen pulling out a vial of liquid and rubbing his hands with the contents after a December jury trial in which he was found guilty of driving without insurance, authorities said.
The assistant prosecutor, Amanda Swanson, became suspicious and tried to avoid contact when Ridgeway offered his hand for a handshake. Ridgeway insisted on shaking hands with her, the police officer who pulled him over and a bailiff, authorities said.
The three got sick within an hour or so, according to testimony. Symptoms, which lasted about 24 hours, included nausea, headaches, numbness and tingling. Two of the three went to the hospital.
Ridgeway told The Associated Press after he was charged that the substance was olive oil. He testified that he used oil to anoint "corrupt buildings" and that it was meant to rid the buildings of demons.
He was acquitted Friday of assaulting a police officer and two counts of assaulting a public officer. If convicted, he could have faced six years in prison.
Prosecutor Keith Kushion declined to comment. Defense lawyer William Shirley said Ridgeway had not intended to harm anyone.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Forget the salt and lime, you'll need a mint to enjoy this tequila. Producer Tequila Ley .925 announced Saturday that it has sold a bottle of Mexico's best-known beverage in a gold and platinum casing for a whopping $225,000.
"This is a really unique bottle of tequila and our client, a U.S.-based collector of fine wines and spirits, will treasure this prize to add to an already impressive collection," said company CEO Fernando Altamirano in a news release. The buyer's name was not disclosed.
Altamirano said he is applying to the Guinness Book of Records claiming he has sold the most expensive bottle of liquor ever, but the book has to ratify the claim.
Tequila, made from agave, a blue cactus-like plant native to Western Mexico, sells for as little $10 a bottle and was traditionally the drink of farmers and laborers.
However, in recent years its profile has risen dramatically and it has gained fans on all corners of the globe. Earlier this month, UNESCO added the blue agave-growing region to the World Heritage list.
The record-breaking bottle was part of a new range of luxury tequilas unveiled by Tequila Ley last week. Named "Aztec Passion Limited Edition," it was cased in 4.4 pounds of gold and platinum.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Two Dutch nuns, wearing habits and riding bikes, chased a suspected thief through Amsterdam, police said Monday.
On Saturday evening, one of the sisters believed she recognized a man walking past their chapel in southern Amsterdam as a thief who snatched hundreds of dollars in cash from the building two weeks earlier, Amsterdam police spokesman Rob van der Veen said.
She invited him inside for a drink and asked a fellow nun to alert police.
The man, apparently suspecting what was happening, fled the building and snatched a bicycle from a passer-by.
"The nuns then grabbed their bikes and gave chase. They tried to grab him, but he managed to escape into a residential neighborhood and they lost him," Van der Veen said. Police hunted for the man in the neighborhood but could not find him.
LAS VEGAS - In an effort to curb charity that is having unintended consequences, the City Council has make it illegal to give food to homeless people in city parks.
Residents complained that the large numbers of homeless gathering in the parks make it impossible for others to use them, said city spokesman David Riggleman.
"We're trying to empathize with both camps," he said. "We're hoping we can improve their lives and improve the lives of people living around the park, some of whom have people urinating and defecating in front of their door."
The law, which went into effect Thursday, targets so-called "mobile soup kitchens." It carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
Riggleman said that by shutting down such soup kitchens, homeless people will be encouraged to go to a center or charity that offers services such as mental health evaluations or job placement.
Gail Sacco, who operates a mobile soup kitchen seven days a week, said the city doesn't have adequate homeless services and that she is undeterred.
"There's no way for people to get out to those services in triple-digit weather," she said. "My plan is to do anything I feel is needed to keep these people alive."
The law defines a homeless person as an indigent "whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance."
American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada lawyer Allen Lichtenstein said the language makes the law unenforceable.
"The ordinance is clearly unconstitutional and nonsensical," he said. "How are you going to know without a financial statement who's poor and who's not poor?"
"It means they can discriminate based on the way people look," Lichtenstein said.
Charles Moore, 59, took the bonds to a 24-hour walk-in homeless shelter, where a staffer tracked down the family of the man whose name was on the bonds.
"They belong to him," Moore told The Detroit News. "I did the right thing."
Ernest Lehto's family had given away many of his clothes shortly after his death in 2004.
How the bonds ended up in the trash bin is a mystery, but Lehto's family left Moore a $100 reward.
"What a good Samaritan," said Neil Lehto, who picked up the bonds Friday that had belonged to his late father.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) - A jury acquitted a man who had been charged with assault after authorities said an assistant prosecutor, police officer and courtroom bailiff got sick after shaking hands with him.
John Curtis Ridgeway, 42, was seen pulling out a vial of liquid and rubbing his hands with the contents after a December jury trial in which he was found guilty of driving without insurance, authorities said.
The assistant prosecutor, Amanda Swanson, became suspicious and tried to avoid contact when Ridgeway offered his hand for a handshake. Ridgeway insisted on shaking hands with her, the police officer who pulled him over and a bailiff, authorities said.
The three got sick within an hour or so, according to testimony. Symptoms, which lasted about 24 hours, included nausea, headaches, numbness and tingling. Two of the three went to the hospital.
Ridgeway told The Associated Press after he was charged that the substance was olive oil. He testified that he used oil to anoint "corrupt buildings" and that it was meant to rid the buildings of demons.
He was acquitted Friday of assaulting a police officer and two counts of assaulting a public officer. If convicted, he could have faced six years in prison.
Prosecutor Keith Kushion declined to comment. Defense lawyer William Shirley said Ridgeway had not intended to harm anyone.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Forget the salt and lime, you'll need a mint to enjoy this tequila. Producer Tequila Ley .925 announced Saturday that it has sold a bottle of Mexico's best-known beverage in a gold and platinum casing for a whopping $225,000.
"This is a really unique bottle of tequila and our client, a U.S.-based collector of fine wines and spirits, will treasure this prize to add to an already impressive collection," said company CEO Fernando Altamirano in a news release. The buyer's name was not disclosed.
Altamirano said he is applying to the Guinness Book of Records claiming he has sold the most expensive bottle of liquor ever, but the book has to ratify the claim.
Tequila, made from agave, a blue cactus-like plant native to Western Mexico, sells for as little $10 a bottle and was traditionally the drink of farmers and laborers.
However, in recent years its profile has risen dramatically and it has gained fans on all corners of the globe. Earlier this month, UNESCO added the blue agave-growing region to the World Heritage list.
The record-breaking bottle was part of a new range of luxury tequilas unveiled by Tequila Ley last week. Named "Aztec Passion Limited Edition," it was cased in 4.4 pounds of gold and platinum.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Two Dutch nuns, wearing habits and riding bikes, chased a suspected thief through Amsterdam, police said Monday.
On Saturday evening, one of the sisters believed she recognized a man walking past their chapel in southern Amsterdam as a thief who snatched hundreds of dollars in cash from the building two weeks earlier, Amsterdam police spokesman Rob van der Veen said.
She invited him inside for a drink and asked a fellow nun to alert police.
The man, apparently suspecting what was happening, fled the building and snatched a bicycle from a passer-by.
"The nuns then grabbed their bikes and gave chase. They tried to grab him, but he managed to escape into a residential neighborhood and they lost him," Van der Veen said. Police hunted for the man in the neighborhood but could not find him.
LAS VEGAS - In an effort to curb charity that is having unintended consequences, the City Council has make it illegal to give food to homeless people in city parks.
Residents complained that the large numbers of homeless gathering in the parks make it impossible for others to use them, said city spokesman David Riggleman.
"We're trying to empathize with both camps," he said. "We're hoping we can improve their lives and improve the lives of people living around the park, some of whom have people urinating and defecating in front of their door."
The law, which went into effect Thursday, targets so-called "mobile soup kitchens." It carries a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
Riggleman said that by shutting down such soup kitchens, homeless people will be encouraged to go to a center or charity that offers services such as mental health evaluations or job placement.
Gail Sacco, who operates a mobile soup kitchen seven days a week, said the city doesn't have adequate homeless services and that she is undeterred.
"There's no way for people to get out to those services in triple-digit weather," she said. "My plan is to do anything I feel is needed to keep these people alive."
The law defines a homeless person as an indigent "whom a reasonable ordinary person would believe to be entitled to apply for or receive assistance."
American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada lawyer Allen Lichtenstein said the language makes the law unenforceable.
"The ordinance is clearly unconstitutional and nonsensical," he said. "How are you going to know without a financial statement who's poor and who's not poor?"
"It means they can discriminate based on the way people look," Lichtenstein said.
