In the tony Denver suburb of Castle Rock, Colo., residents on Avery Way are in a tizzy about the Thunderstorm Play Palace, a 7,500-square-foot home where, neighbors told KDVR-TV, the owner invites swinging couples and singles to gather for wild sex parties. Invitees must make a "donation" ($70 for couples and single men, $20 for single women), and the parties include drinks, snacks and potluck dishes. "One had four crockpots," said a neighbor, "showing up like they're going to a Bunco party or something." On the invitation, guests were asked to bring their own condoms and show respect for the "new furniture." The host is a married father of three who feels harassed by the neighborhood, but he counters that he's taken steps to be discreet, including installing soundproofing and making sure "there are no open areas." But neighbors claim they hear "disturbing sounds" coming from the house. Police say the man is not breaking the law because he's only taking donations, and the activities are contained to his home.

Oops!

Police officers in the German town of Neustadt were called April 25 to an apartment building after reports of screaming led neighbors to suspect domestic violence, the Daily Mail reported. Instead, they found a couple receiving instruction in the Japanese art of Shibari erotic bondage from the apartment's tenant. ("Shibari" translates as "the beauty of tight binding.") In a statement titled "Fifty Shades of Neustadt," police reported the couple were "well and in a good mood," even asking the officers if they'd like to join in, but they had to decline.

Look-alikes

Dolores Leis, 64, of Nanton in Galicia, Spain, is a modest wife and potato farmer. But thanks to the internet, she has found fame as "Trump's Galician sister." The Associated Press reports that a journalist researching farming posted a photo of Leis at her farm on Instagram, and the striking resemblance between her and the U.S. president caught the attention of the web. "I say that it must be because of the color of the hair," Leis told La Voz de Galicia on April 24. She added that she's not overwhelmed by the sudden attention because, unlike her doppelgänger, she doesn't use a mobile phone and isn't much interested in online chatter. "I look at everything that my daughters show me, but it never stung my curiosity to have [a phone]," she said.

Crime report

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 evaded authorities until April 12, when investigators tracked him down, thanks to his mother's obituary, at an office in Houston where he was working. Paris, 58, was mentioned in his mother's tribute, using his alias, the Associated Press reported, and after confirming his identity with fingerprints, the U.S. Marshals Service returned him to custody.

News of the Weird is compiled by the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.