Mazen Dayem, 36, of Staten Island, obtained a restraining order against his father-in-law, Yunes Doleh, 62, in September after Doleh repeatedly tormented him by waving his hairpiece at Dayem, provoking Dayem's greatest phobia — the Tasmanian devil of Looney Tunes fame. Not easily deterred, Doleh was arrested on Nov. 5 for violating the order after he "removed his wig [and] made hand gestures" at a funeral the two attended, Dayem explained to the New York Post. "It's just a very large fear of mine, his damn wig. ... I have nightmares."
Court papers say Doleh "proceeded to grimace, snarl, gurn and gesticulate." He was charged with criminal mischief in Staten Island County court, and then sued his son-in-law for defamation after photos from the arrest appeared on social media.
Least competent criminal
Teller County (Colo.) Sheriff Jason Mikesell listed his SUV for sale on Craigslist in November, and he was a little perplexed when he received a response from Shawn Langley, 39, of Vail, offering to trade the SUV for four pounds of marijuana. Langley even provided photos of his black market booty and boasted about its quality, reported the Colorado Springs Gazette. "I saw that text, and I started giggling," Mikesell said. Detectives set up a meeting and arrested both Langley and Jane Cravens, 41, after finding the promised four pounds of marijuana in their car.
Hiding in plain sight
On Nov. 27, 27-year-old Corey Hughes, who was due to be released from prison in February after serving most of a weapons charge, walked away from a San Joaquin County sheriff's work crew in Stockton, Calif., according to the Fresno Bee. It took police almost a month to track him to a home in Stockton, where they surrounded the dwelling and apprehended him without incident — which might not be so remarkable were it not for the distinctive, whole-face tattoo Hughes sports, which makes his face look like a human skull. He was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail.
Good deed goes punished
Malcolm Whitfield of Rochester, N.Y., was only trying to help when he ordered a Lyft car to deliver a drunk woman home from a bar in November. But when the woman vomited in the car, Whitfield was hit with a $150 fine to cover the damage. "For a second, I was like, 'Never do anything nice again!"' Whitfield told WHAM-TV. Lyft's terms and conditions include damage fees, which most people don't see in the fine print. Update: Lyft later refunded Whitfield's fine and added $100 to his Lyft account for future rides. "Mr. Whitfield absolutely did the right thing by helping someone get home safely," said Scott Coriell, a Lyft spokesperson.
Sweet revenge
A mom in Hillsboro, Ore., came up with the perfect retaliation for a porch pirate who nabbed her baby son's Christmas pajamas package off the front porch. Angie Boliek told KATU-TV she wanted to get her own "passive-aggressive revenge," so she taped up a box full of 10 to 15 dirty diapers with a note reading "Enjoy this you thief!" Boliek left the box on her porch on Dec. 3, and by the evening of Dec. 4 it was gone. Boliek alerted Hillsboro police, but they don't have any leads in the investigation. "It was fun to come home and see that it was gone," Boliek said.
News of the Weird is compiled by the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.