{"id":7912,"date":"2018-08-02T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2018-08-02T17:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=7912"},"modified":"2018-08-02T10:24:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T15:24:19","slug":"the-invisible-mask","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2018\/08\/02\/the-invisible-mask\/","title":{"rendered":"The Invisible Mask"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Kerry Hammond Jr., 22, broke into a GameStop store in St. Marys, Ga., at 1:19 a.m. on April 13. He was captured on camera wearing a clear plastic wrapper (of the sort that holds bundles of bottled water) over his head. Even with this plastic \u201cmask,\u201d WJXT reported, Hammond\u2019s face was clearly visible in surveillance video. St. Marys police quickly identified him and captured him on April 17. Hammond already had two active felony warrants for his arrest for burglary and second-degree criminal damage to property.<\/p>\n

Beware Of Shadow<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Tokyo, women who have qualms about living alone may soon have a new security option. \u201cMan on the Curtain\u201d is a prototype smartphone app that connects to a projector and throws a moving shadow of a man onto a closed window curtain. The shadow man can be doing any of several different activities, such as boxing, karate, vacuuming, playing guitar or getting dressed.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re Out Of Cheetos!<\/strong><\/p>\n

After she crawled through a window in a Monroe, La., home, Evelyn Washington, 29, settled into a warm bath with a bag of Cheetos and a large plate of food. When the homeowner returned from work at 5 pm, she called police, who removed Washington to the Ouachita Correctional Center. She gave the guards an excellent explanation, telling them \u201can unknown male told her to break into the victims\u2019 residence.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re Out Of Pickles!<\/strong><\/p>\n

On April 4, a homeowner in the Longton area of Stoke-on-Trent, England, returned home to discover a man bathing in his tub and enjoying a cup of broth, according to the BBC. When police arrived, the 36-year-old naked man tried to flee but was caught and arrested. The homeowner complained: \u201cHe ate me crisps, had five rounds of corned beef and sauce, ate a jar of pickles, had two ice creams and a can of Coke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Damned Obituaries!<\/strong><\/p>\n

In October, 1981, Stephen Michael Paris escaped from the Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Muskogee, Okla., where he had been serving a nine-year sentence for drug possession and distribution. Using the name Stephen Chavez, Paris managed to evade authorities until April 12, 2018, when investigators tracked him down, thanks to his mother\u2019s obituary, at an office in Houston where he was working. Now 58 years old, Paris was mentioned by alias in his mother\u2019s tribute. After confirming his identity with fingerprints, the U.S. Marshals Service returned him to custody.<\/p>\n

Why They Say, \u201cStay In Touch\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Police officers in Warren, Mich., responded to a home for a welfare check on 68-year-old George Curtis, whose relatives had become concerned because they hadn\u2019t heard from him. Curtis had, in fact, been deceased for months, maybe even a year. Also in the home was his girlfriend, who had continued living with his decaying body, which was laid out in a bed. Police transported the unnamed woman to a hospital for a mental evaluation and are awaiting a report on cause of death from the medical examiner.<\/p>\n

\u2014 In March, Constantin Reliu, 63, appealed unsuccessfully to a court in Barlad, Romania, to overturn a death certificate that his wife had obtained because she hadn\u2019t heard from him for more than a decade. According to The Guardian, Reliu left Romania for Turkey in 1992 to look for employment, but neglected to keep in touch with his family. In 2003, Reliu\u2019s wife, believing he had died in an earthquake in Turkey, argued in court for a death certificate. The case didn\u2019t come to light until Reliu was deported to Romania because of expired papers in Turkey. On his arrival, immigration officers explained to Reliu that he had died in 2003. His appeal failed, and the ruling is final, leaving Reliu in an odd state of limbo. \u201cI am officially dead, although I\u2019m alive,\u201d Reliu told Romanian media outlets. \u201cI have no income and because I am listed dead, I can\u2019t do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jaywalking Just Got Serious, Y\u2019all<\/strong><\/p>\n

The city of Daye, in Hubei province China, has installed water sprayers and an electronic screen at a crosswalk to stop people from crossing on a red light. Five pylons were placed along the road April 16, three of which identify offenders using sensors and then spray them with water vapor. Other pylons \u201cphotograph people crossing against red lights,\u201d explained Wan Xinqiang of the Daye public security bureau. \u201cA large electronic screen at the intersection will instantly display their photos. … If the equipment works well, we will use it throughout the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes Buses Are Still Worse Than Planes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Greyhound Bus passengers were frustrated after their trip to New York was delayed by mechanical trouble and navigational challenges. The ride started in Cleveland, Ohio, where the scheduled departure time was 2:30 am. But the bus didn\u2019t leave until 6 am. After crossing into Pennsylvania, the bus turned around, and the driver explained he was returning to Cleveland because of mechanical difficulties. However, the driver missed the Cleveland exit and drove all the way to Toledo before realizing the mistake and heading back to Cleveland.<\/p>\n

Phone Call From Beyond<\/strong><\/p>\n

Largo, Fla., detectives visited a dead man at the Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home in Clearwater and attempted to use his finger to unlock his smartphone. Linus F. Phillip, 30, had been shot and killed by Largo police March 23 after he tried to drive away from an officer who wanted to search him. As part of their investigation, police said they needed to access and preserve data on Phillip\u2019s phone. Legal experts generally agreed the detectives had not broken any laws. But Phillip\u2019s girlfriend, Victoria Armstrong, 28, was less forgiving: \u201cNobody even calling us … to let us know detectives were coming there at all. That is very disturbing,\u201d she told the Tampa Bay Times. \u201cI\u2019m very skeptical of all funeral homes now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Take Your Ghost Box Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

A member of the Listowel Paranormal Society in Windsor, Ont., Canada, was surprised when police arrived at his door and asked about a small black box with a red wire protruding from it that had been left at Mackenzie Hall in Windsor. The Windsor Police Explosives Disposal Unit was called to the hall to investigate the box. They determined it was \u201csafe\u201d and not explosive. Society members had recently used the box at the historic building to sweep for spirits. Jen Parker, assistant director for the society, called the box an EMF (electromagnetic field) sensor, and said each team member carries one when they\u2019re looking for ghosts. The society\u2019s spokesperson said there were strong signs of paranormal activity at the hall, especially in the old jail, dressing room and basement.<\/p>\n

Harry Potter Burlesque Fundraiser<\/strong><\/p>\n

Springville, Utah, resident Tiffany King has weathered devastating health problems. She suffers from a condition for which the medication weakened her immune system. In January, she contracted pneumonia, which led to a blood infection, and complications forced doctors to amputate both her legs and arms. King, who is engaged, hopes to complete therapy and walk down the aisle with prosthetic legs and arms. That is where a unique fundraiser comes in: On March 17, King\u2019s friends announced \u201cPhoenix Wing Productions Welcomes Harry Potter to Burlesque\u201d \u2014 a caricature of the blockbuster movies based on J.K. Rowling\u2019s books. All proceeds from the event on April 20 at the Utah Arts Alliance in Salt Lake City went toward buying King\u2019s prosthetic limbs. \u201cI\u2019m going to work hard,\u201d King said, \u201cbecause I have a family I need to get back to.\u201d<\/p>\n

How To Attract The Police<\/strong><\/p>\n

Timothy Hill, 67, of Grassington, North Yorkshire, England, installed a laser jammer in his Range Rover in order to outsmart speeding cameras. He was so sure of his scheme that he repeatedly raised his middle finger to the cameras \u2014 sometimes casually, sometimes aggressively \u2014 as he passed. What he didn\u2019t realize, apparently, was that the laser jammer did nothing to hide his identity. When they tracked him down, he was charged not with speeding, but with perverting the course of justice. \u201cIf you want to attract our attention, repeatedly gesturing at police camera vans with your middle finger while you\u2019re driving a distinctive car fitted with a laser jammer is an excellent way to do it,\u201d Traffic Constable Andrew Forth said.<\/p>\n

Neighborhood Watch Fail<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the seaside village of Lytham St. Annes, England, Douglas Cholmondley Travis, an 88-year-old member of the local Neighborhood Watch, was on patrol Oct. 10, 2017, when he and an 87-year-old watch colleague noticed a van turning into Lytham Park Cemetery. Regarding the vehicle as suspicious, they began taking pictures of it. The driver of the van, Antony James, who was only there to visit family graves, grew angry. He got out of his van to confront Travis, causing a panic. James was knocked down by the Neighborhood Watch vehicle and Travis charged for reckless driving and assault. \u201cThis is all terribly sad,\u201d Castle told Blackpool Magistrates Court in late April, as his client is \u201cone of the eyes and ears of the police.\u201d Travis was fined 40 pounds plus court costs.<\/p>\n

Bright Idea<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the mayor employed a clever way to keep his finger on the pulse of the city. When he goes out, he wears a fake beard so he\u2019ll blend in and won\u2019t be recognized as the capital city\u2019s leader. Mayor Albek Ibraimov told Fergana, a Russian news agency: \u201cI dress in old clothes, take off my tie and I go and look, and see how things actually are.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Kerry Hammond Jr., 22, broke into a GameStop store in St. Marys, Ga., at 1:19 a.m. on April 13. He was captured on camera wearing a clear plastic wrapper (of the sort that holds bundles of bottled water) over his head. Even with this plastic \u201cmask,\u201d WJXT reported, Hammond\u2019s face was clearly visible in [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"yoast_head":"\nThe Invisible Mask - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2018\/08\/02\/the-invisible-mask\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Invisible Mask - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  Kerry Hammond Jr., 22, broke into a GameStop store in St. Marys, Ga., at 1:19 a.m. on April 13. 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