Odds and Ends – May 22, 2019

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(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Dennis Rodman accused of stealing from yoga studio

Newport Beach, Calif. (AP) — The owner of a Southern California yoga studio is accusing Dennis Rodman of helping three people steal more than $3,500 in merchandise from his business. Ali Shah says security cameras captured the former NBA star walking into Vibes Hot Yoga in Newport Beach on Tuesday with his alleged accomplices. Shah said the four worked together to distract an employee so they could steal clothes and a 400-pound (181-kilogram) amethyst crystal from the front desk. Shah said Rodman returned Wednesday and tried to distract a different employee while a female companion grabbed clothes that were on display. Police told the Los Angeles Times they were investigating the matter and no one has been arrested. Rodman told TMZ that the studio’s owner offered him the clothes as gifts in exchange for moving the crystal.

 

Toll evader named Stiff to pay up; had $128K in tolls, fines

Philadelphia (AP) — The worst toll evader in Pennsylvania is being ordered to pay up. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Jarrett Stiff didn’t pay for trips on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 2,264 times from 2012 to 2017, more than anyone else in the state. The 36-year-old from suburban Philadelphia racked up nearly $128,000 in unpaid tolls and subsequent fines. In a deal with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty in April to theft of services, was ordered to pay over $11,500 and was sentenced to five years’ probation. No attorney to speak for him is listed in online court documents. Stiff’s case and two others resolved in suburban Philadelphia this week are the latest examples of the Turnpike Commission’s aggressive new approach to toll evaders. The commission began pursuing felony charges against toll scofflaws who owed $2,000 or more in an effort to recoup hefty losses from unpaid tolls.

 

Waiter returns lost $424,000 check to retired social worker

New York (AP) — A waiter has returned a cashier’s check worth nearly $424,000 to the retired social worker who lost it. Armando Markaj found a bank envelope while cleaning off a table last Saturday at Patsy’s restaurant in East Harlem. Markaj ran outside but the customer was gone. He opened the envelope and got a shock. After an unsuccessful search, the restaurant’s owner called the Daily News for help. A “relieved” Karen Vinacour was reunited with her check on Wednesday. It contained proceeds from her apartment sale, earmarked for a down payment on a new home. Vinacour had not tipped the waiter after her meal. She tried to rectify that but he graciously declined. Markaj, who’s working his way through school, did accept Vinacour’s apology and gratitude and said he’s “happy for her.”

 

Police: New Mexico driver fled and said, ‘I don’t think so’

Las Cruces, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico woman is facing charges after police say she fled an officer during a traffic stop and told him, “I don’t think so.” Doña County court documents show Ricci Barnett was arrested April 21 following the exchange. According to court documents, an officer tried to pull over the 41-year-old Barnett for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in Las Cruces, but she refused to stop. The documents say the officer made contact with Barnett as she stopped at a red light. When the officer showed Barnett his badge, court documents say she responded, “I don’t think so,” and drove off. She was eventually taken into custody and charged with aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer and reckless driving. It was not known if she had an attorney.

 

NYPD: Shoplifter slugs worker after stuffing soap down pants

New York (AP) — Police say a man slugged a worker who caught him stuffing a bar of soap down his pants at a New York City pharmacy. The New York Police Department released a video Saturday of the person in the April 1 incident and asked for the public’s help in tracking him down. Police say the soap swiper fled after punching the worker in the face several times at Rite Choice Pharmacy in the Bronx. The 60-year-old worker refused medical attention for abrasions to the left side of his face. The person got away with a $5.29 bar of Cetaphil soap.