News of the Weird: Cops issue an APB — all pigs bulletin

The Carter County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee has requested the public's help in finding the owner of a pig at large — and when they say "at large," the emphasis is on large. The animal weighs an estimated 300 pounds, and it has helped itself to homeowners' plants and destroyed property during its wandering, reported WJHL-TV. The animal's size poses a problem for authorities. "We have nowhere to put a 300-pound pig," said Shannon Posada, director of the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter. "We have no way of transportation for that large of an animal." They're hoping the owner — once they find them — will be able to help.

Residents in Polk County, Iowa, are trying to get the Warren-Powers Cemetery to remove a headstone they find offensive, WHO-13 reported. The message on Steven Paul Owens' headstone says:

"Forever in our hearts

until we meet again,

cherished memories,

known as

our son, brother,

friend, & cousin."

When the first letter of each line is read vertically, the obscene message is quite clear. And it was no accident, said the family the 59-year-old left behind when he died in September 2021. "It was a term of endearment," Owens' daughter said. "If he said that to you, it meant he liked you. If he didn't like you, he didn't talk to you." Cemetery officials say they lack the authority to remove the headstone short of it being the subject of a court order. So, the next stop for protesters is a courtroom.

Speaking of strange things involving the dearly departed, Laurie Lynn Hinds, 51, of Quitman, Texas, was arrested on June 5 and charged with abuse of a corpse for a November 2021 incident in which she walked into a funeral home, made her way directly to an open casket and spit on the corpse inside. Hinds reportedly was angry with the family of the deceased. Abuse of a corpse is a felony in Texas, punishable by six months to two years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines.

It's not unheard of for a library to receive a late book return in the mail, but the package the Tooting Library in London received from Canada recently won't be forgotten soon. CBC News reported that the package contained a copy of the book "A Confederate General From Big Sur" by Richard Brautigan, which had been checked out in 1974 — making it 48 years and 107 days overdue. Efforts to track down the borrower led to Tony Spence, 72, a retired judge living in British Columbia. The library's maximum fine is capped at $10.50, which is good for Spence, who otherwise would have owed $7,618. But the library decided to waive any fines. "We're pleased to have the book back in a condition good enough to return to the shelves," a statement from the library said. "We thank Mr. Spence for returning it and hope he enjoyed it."