A US drug suspect who couldn’t afford to post bail convinced a judge to take his Nike trainers instead of money.
Judge Douglas Stoddart urged Jason Duval, 39, of Framingham, Massachusetts, to “be creative” after he revealed he was too broke to post bail.
Duval was in court to face drug charges from 2012, which were set to be dismissed once he paid $450 (£300)court fees.
Judge Stoddart told him he could spend a few days in jail to wipe out the debt but Duval wasn’t keen on that option.
“I’ll give you a chance to be creative,” the Judge said, according to MetroWest Daily News.
“If you can come up with a creative idea to convince me that you’ll come back, I’ll work with you.”
After a short break, Duval offered to hand over the pair of Nikes – a Christmas present valued at $85 (£60) – as collateral. “OK, we’ll take them,” Judge Stoddart said.
The judge said that Duval would get his trainers back after he paid $100 or completed 10 hours of community service.
Man arrested wearing ‘I have drugs’ t-shirt
A US man wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo ‘I have drugs’ has been arrested for possession of drugs.
John Balmer was spotted wearing the top – which read: ‘Who needs drugs? No, seriously, I have drugs’ – at a supermarket in Hudson, Florida.
A Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy allegedly saw him attempt to pass a plastic bag to another customer in the checkout queue.
When that person didn’t take the bag, police said Balmer walked to another register where he allegedly placed the bag on the ground.
The 50-year-old was taken into custody after the deputies found crystal meth and marijuana in the bag.
Pedestrians splashed by cars complain to police
Drenched pedestrians have complained to police after being splashed by motorists driving through puddles, figures reveal.
Upset walkers across England and Wales have contacted police forces and accused drivers of swerving deliberately to drive through standing water.
Some even said police officers were among the perpetrators.
A number of motorists were traced and given driving advice, while a handful of others could not be tracked down.
Splashing comes under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, and can be punished through a fixed penalty notice.
The details of those who have been investigated were released by police forces to the Press Association following a Freedom of Information request.
Six police forces had details on splashing incidents.
There were 63 reported incidents of motorists driving through a puddle and splashing pedestrians during a five-year period from January 2009.
South Wales Police had 38 reported cases of splashing, with victims as young as 10.
A police officer was forced to apologise after driving a 4×4 through standing water, while one pedestrian complained that a bus driver accelerated to soak those walking on the pavement.
A van driver was given a ticket for a public order offence after driving “back and forth through a large puddle to intentionally splash pedestrians”.
Another driver was spoken to after deliberately going through a puddle to splash a walker before laughing with a passenger.
Two motorists were involved in altercations after being accused of splashing.
One motorist in Wrexham was injured during an argument, while another in Rhyl was confronted over their driving some days earlier.
Both incidents were reported to North Wales Police in 2012.
Cumbria Police were contacted by a group of pedestrians in November 2012 after the walkers say they were deliberately soaked by a car in Cockermouth.
The driver was given advice by police, and was one of nine incidents reported to the force.
An unlucky resident in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, said they were splashed “at least five times” by drivers speeding through puddles on one particular road.
Another said a police officer “swerved into a puddle on purpose” to soak him.
One witness reported how a “young male driver was swerving all along” The Knapp in Stroud, “driving into puddles on purpose to splash school children walking home”. It was one of 11 incidents reported to Gloucestershire Police. Two incidents were reported to Avon and Somerset Police, and one was mentioned to officers in Kent.
Mike Frisby, the Driving Instructors Association chief examiner, said motorists have a “duty of care” not to splash pedestrians, something which can be “easily avoided”.
He added: “It’s probably not widely known by pedestrians that they can report incidents if they’re splashed, but we don’t really want to engage in a culture where people are going to report every little incident.
“The driver has an obligation to plan well, as there is always a danger when driving through a puddle because even in shallow water drivers won’t know what lurks beneath.”
Club to sell tickets for the game that never was
Accrington Stanley are inviting their fans to spend £20 on souvenir tickets for a game which will never happen.
The League Two side blew their chance of hosting Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup by losing to Yeovil in their second-round replay.
The match would have been a lifeline for cash-strapped Stanley which has now produced 250 commemorative tickets to mark the club’s FA Cup run.
Chairman Peter Marsden said the money would go towards “strengthening the squad” for the rest of the season.
Manager John Coleman said he hoped Stanley would still get a chance to play the 20-time league winners.
“We are speaking to Manchester United and we’re going to try to pull on their heartstrings a bit and hopefully those who buy the tickets might actually see us play them in the not too distant future,” he said.
But the move has been met with scepticism on online forums by fans.
One posted: “Bullseye springs to mind… Let’s see what you could have won. In reality, it’s hardly an FA Cup run. We entered round one and exited round two.”
Post published in: World News