“World’s Hottest Criminal” Set for Dubai Appearance
Let’s give a bit of a backstory for those of you who aren’t up-to-date. A man called Jeremy Meeks was arrested in America, and after his rather piercing mugshot was posted on Facebook by police in California, it went viral with over 100,000 likes and shares. Whether he deserves the fame that has followed or not is up for debate, but morals aside, Jeremy has been dubbed the “World’s hottest criminal” and has come out of prison with a huge social media fan base, a manager and rumored modelling contracts. “We have major, major fashion brands, designers on the table. We have movies on the table, we have book deals on the table, we have reality non-scripted television on the table, we have pilots on the table, we have club openings in Dubai, Vegas and all over the world.”
The 30-year-old skyrocketed to fame off the back of a conviction for illegal gun possession, for which he served 27 months in jail. He is married with three children, and White Cross Management’s Jim Jordan says that he’s looking forward to giving Meeks a ‘second chance’. [ShortList]
Authorities in Virginia say a suspect paralyzed during a police chase in 2007 recently led officers on another high-speed pursuit, this time using a cane. Citing court documents, the Virginian-Pilot reports 33-year-old Nathaniel Powell faces federal drug charges following a May drug sting operation. Authorities say Powell was called to meet with a witness to buy heroin May 26. Before police could arrest him, they say Powell sped off, leading officers on a chase that ended in a crash. Another driver was treated for minor injuries. Documents show Powell, who broke his back in a crash during a 2007 police chase that stretched from Portsmouth into Chesapeake, used a cane to operate the car in the May incident. Powell’s attorney Keith Kimball declined to comment to the newspaper. [Virginian-Pilot]
20K Pounds of Cheese Stolen in Southeastern Wisconsin
Authorities are investigating after a semitrailer containing 20,000 pounds of cheese was stolen from a parking lot in southeastern Wisconsin. Capt. Mike Bolender of the Oak Creek Police Department says the cheese was reported missing around 2 a.m. Thursday after the driver parked his semitrailer, left for several hours and returned to find it was gone.
Bolender says the cheese was produced by manufacturer U.S. Foods and was on its way to the New York City area from Green Bay. He says U.S. Foods values the cheese at more than $46,000. A semitrailer carrying $70,000 worth of cheese was stolen from a Germantown trucking company in January. [YakimaHerald]
Boston Cabbie Turns in $187,000 Left Behind in His Taxi
A man who left about $187,000 cash in a Boston taxi has been reunited with his money thanks to an honest cabbie, police said Tuesday. Raymond “Buzzy” MacCausland, a driver for the Independent Taxi Operators Association, picked up a fare with a cast on one leg on Saturday. “He told me he was homeless and had been living in a shelter for six months,” MacCausland said. At one point, the man got out of the cab to meet a friend intending to return, leaving a bag behind, the 72-year-old MacCausland said. MacCausland waited about 30 minutes, but the man didn’t return. So, he drove to the man’s hotel to look for him.
Unable to find the man, even with the help of the hotel staff, MacCausland looked in the bag for identification. There he found three bundles of $50 and $100 dollar bills. He immediately drove to police headquarters to turn in the cash. Police found paperwork indicating that the money was part of an inheritance. “To me that was a relief,” MacCausland said. “Because I know if it wasn’t they’d come looking for me.”
The money was returned to the unnamed man after police determined he was the rightful owner. The man gave MacCausland a $100 reward. “This hackney driver exhibited exemplary behavior and his honest deed should be recognized,” Police Commissioner William Evans said in a statement. About 30 years ago, another person left a large sum of money in MacCausland’s cab. A fare he drove to the airport left a briefcase containing $10,000 behind. That person didn’t give him a reward, he said. [DunYaNews]
Vandals Hack Roadside Message Board
Here’s the straight poop on a road sign that raised a bit of a stink Wednesday around Mays Landing, New Jersey. A state Department of Transportation spokesman said a portable variable message sign, or PVMS, was apparently vandalized overnight to display a flashing message that had nothing to do with updates or slow-downs on a road-construction project on Route 40, near Route 50. “Poop,” the message flashed repeatedly — if only temporarily. Steven Schapiro, of the state agency, said the flashing board belongs to the company doing the work. “NJDOT contacted the contractor this morning and directed them to remove the message as soon as we were notified of the vandalism,” he said. “The department reiterated to the contractor that the control boxes of all PVMS must be secured with a lock to prevent vandalism,” Schapiro added. [PressOfAtlanticCity]