The Top Legally Weird Stories of the Year 2012

Semen-Tainted Yogurt: NM Man Charged After DNA Evidence Link

By Cynthia Hsu

Would you like some granola with your semen-tainted yogurt? No?  Some unlucky shoppers at the Sunflower Market in Albuquerque, New Mexico got a taste of Anthony Garcia's "stuff" in January. Garcia had been handing out what was supposed to be yogurt samples at the Sunflower Market. A woman got a taste of the sample. She realized it wasn't yogurt. It was something else, reports KASA-TV. The yogurt was actually tainted with Garcia's semen, a fact that was verified through a DNA test, KASA-TV reports. Now, Garcia has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

The charges? Adulterating food with semen and making a false statement to federal investigators during a criminal investigation. Garcia was arrested on Wednesday by U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Albuquerque police. The adulteration charge carries a penalty of up to 3 years in prison and a $250,000 fine with a year of supervised release. The false statement charge could put Garcia away for up to 5 years, reports KOAT-TV.

Adulterating food is a violation of federal law, and is often a violation of state law as well, depending on the jurisdiction. The FDA's Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, in part, defines adulterated food as food that contains poisonous, insanitary or deleterious ingredients. Garcia's semen seems like it should be considered something that is "insanitary." It's not like it's that nutritious (unless you drink gallons of it a day).

The Sunflower Market in Albuquerque is also not coming away from the semen-tainted yogurt incident without a black eye. Both Garcia and Sunflower Market are being sued by two of Garcia's unfortunate victims. Apparently, Garcia has a long rap sheet, including charges of child molestation. He was waiting for trial when he was hired by Sunflower Markets.

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The Top Legally Weird Stories of the Year 2012

Man Had 70+ Exotic Snakes, Fed Them Pets Adopted Off Craigslist

By Stephanie Rabiner

There's no question that Craigslist is cluttered with strange things and strange people, but this story may just take the cake. Texas animal authorities are currently in the process of re-housing and identifying nearly 80 snakes--mostly Boas and Albino Burmese Pythons--all located at one East Texas house. Their owner, David Beauchemin, apparently fed the snakes pets he "adopted" off of Craigslist. Texas State Game Wardens, Wood County Police, and local zoo keepers were alerted to David Beauchemin when he failed to show up to a hearing in Louisiana, where KLTV reports that he is being charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty.

It is alleged that he advertised on Craigslist as a pet adopter, and then feds the pets to his dozens of snakes. When authorities happened upon David Beauchemin, KLTV reports that they found him in a motor home with a large quantity of cash. He also had a cargo trailer full of snakes. If you're wondering why it's okay for snake owners to feed their pets rodents but not other animals, it has to do with nutritional needs. Snakes generally have to eat whole prey, which is why many states permit the sale of live "feeder mice" or frozen, dead mice killed via humane means. Rodents are also their natural food--not kittens. This may seem like a strange exception to animal cruelty laws given the fact that the mice are intentionally killed, but in jurisdictions where snakes are permissible pets, legislators have decided that some mice have no rights.

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The Top Legally Weird Stories of the Year 2012

Indiana Police Officer Has Sex in City Pool While Children Watch

By Cynthia Hsu

Myron Helms is a reserve officer with the Laurel Police Department. Now, to add to his list of accomplishments, he has been arrested for having sex with a woman in a public pool in Connersville, Indiana. Apparently, Helms and his lovebird (identified as Victoria Cross, 40) were having some adult play time at the Roberts Park Family Aquatic Center, reports WLWT-TV. Note that the public pool facility has the word "family" in it. Ironic, considering their behavior in the pool was nowhere near something that can be considered family-friendly.

Helms and Cross actually went at it for a good thirty minutes before pool patrons complained to the manager, WLWT-TV reports. Witnesses, including children, were there to view the provocative show. The manager went over to tell the pair to stop their lovemaking. At that point, Cross moved away from Helms, and the manager could see Helms' "private area," The Daily Mail reports. Police were called, and Helms and Cross were given no-trespass orders. These orders would have essentially barred the two from returning to pool property. Responding police said that the people near the pool were "visibly disturbed by the incident."

The pool's cleanup crew was probably also disturbed, and disturbed enough to make the pool go through some extra vigorous cleaning, including recycling the "whole water" system and putting in new chemicals, reports The Daily Mail. Prosecutors have responded by filing public indecency charges against both Helms and Cross, WLWT-TV reports. In Indiana, a person who knowingly or intentionally engages in sexual intercourse in a public place is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. The Laurel Police Department has since placed Myron Helms on unpaid leave, WLWT-TV reports. Though, the next time you visit a pool in Connersville, Indiana - or any pool for that matter - you might want to remember public pool water may be murkier than you think.

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The Top Legally Weird Stories of the Year 2012

Woman Gets $95M Verdict: Boss Masturbated on Her

By Cynthia Hsu

Ashley Alford sued rent-to-own furniture store Aaron's Inc. with sexual harassment. An Illinois jury has now awarded her with $95 million in damages. Her attorneys believe that this is one of the largest jury verdicts ever in a sexual harassment lawsuit, reports the New York Daily News. Alford was a former employee at Aaron's, Inc. in St. Louis. She suffered some strange - and likely humiliating - sexual harassment from her former manager, Richard Moore, according to the New York Daily News.

Alford started working at the store in 2005. Moore touched her inappropriately, and about a year after she began working he came up to her when she was sitting down in the back stock room. He then hit her head with his genitals. The same day, he held her down and lifted up her shirt, masturbating over her as he held her down, reports the New York Daily News. The other male employees at the Aaron's store also harassed her when she began work there, according to Alford's suit. Moore had also nicknamed Alford "Trixie" and had told her that she was "cute" and groped her breasts before the final incident, reports Reuters.

Alford called the company's sexual harassment hotline and had left a message, but never received a response, according to Reuters. It took the jury 3 days to return with the verdict and the damages amount, reports Reuters. However, some of the award will be capped under federal law, so Alford's attorney expects that the actual award will be lowered to maybe $40 million, plus attorney's fees. A strange set of facts - and Aaron's was likely found liable because they did not do enough to protect their employee from a known case of sexual harassment. Ashley Alford's Aaron's Inc. sexual harassment lawsuit will be appealed by Aaron's attorneys, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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The Amazing Story behind the 256 Year-Old Man

According to the 1933 obituaries in both Time Magazine and the New York Times, Li Ching-Yun was reported to have buried 23 wives and fostered 180 descendants by the time he died at the age of 256. Was he really that old? Could he have forgotten his own birthday or exaggerated his claim? Environmental Graffiti investigates.

The Secrets to an Interminable Life

"Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog." These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life. Li maintained that inward calm and peace of mind were the secrets to incredible longevity. His diet after all, was mainly based on rice and wine.

From 0 to 256

Unsurprisingly, not much is known about Li Ching-Yun’s early life. We know he was born in the province of Szechwan in China, where he also died. We also know that by his tenth birthday, Ching-Yun was literate and had travelled to Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria gathering herbs. After that, it gets a bit fuzzy… Apparently, for over one hundred years, Li continued selling his own herbs and then subsequently sold herbs collected by others. He also (according to Time) had six-inch long fingernails on his right hand.

You might be thinking that he looked decrepit, shrivelled, leather-like and creepy, however sources at the time were astonished at his youthfulness. Was this suspect? Was Li Ching-Yun as old as he claimed he was, or was his birthday a clerical error or exaggeration?

Let’s take a brief look at both sides…

The Nine Lives of Li Ching-Yun

By his own admission he was born in 1736 and had lived 197 years. However, in 1930 a professor and dean at Minkuo University by the name of Wu Chung-chien, found records “proving” that Li was born in 1677. Records allegedly showed that the Imperial Chinese Government congratulated him on his 150th and 200th Birthdays.

So the question is, had he forgotten his own birthday? Was this even the same Li Ching-Yun?

Looking at all of this from a medical and documented perspective: Jeanne Louise Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 so far holds the title for the person who has roamed the earth the longest: 122 years, which is a phenomenal length of time.

That means, that if the records discovered by Wu Chung-chien were accurate, Li Ching-Yun’s age would surpass the official record by more than 130 years. Is this even medically possible?

The detail, which seems to prove both arguments and debunk them at the same time, is Li’s youthful appearance, noted in a 1928 article from the New York Times. Visually and physically, he appeared to look like a typical 60 year-old. Does this therefore signify a superhuman body capable of lasting one quarter of a millennium, or is the story of Li Ching-Yun based on a series of half-truths, lies or exaggerations?

A very sad love story

One night a guy and girl were driving home from the movies. The boy sensed there was something wrong because of the painful silence they shared between them that night. The girl then asked the boy to pull over because she wanted to talk. She told him that her feelings had changed and that it was time to move on.A silent tear slid down his cheek as he slowly reached into his pocket and passed her a folded note. At that moment, a drunk driver was speeding down that very same street. He swerved right into the drivers seat, killing the boy. Miraculously, the girl survived. Remembering the note, she pulled it out and read it." Without your love, I would die."

http://storiesoftruelove.blogspot.com/2008/03/very-sad-love-story.html