Court Order: July 31, 2008

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jul 31, 2008 by Marie Price

He wore the familiar purple suit and green wig, but he was no joke to workers at a Three Rivers, Mich., theater.

Police arrived at the theater early Sunday to find employees restraining Spencer Taylor, 20, disguised as Batman's nemesis, The Joker, in The Dark Night.

Theater workers told police that Taylor was trying to steal posters and other Batman items promoting the new film, The Associated Press reported.

OMG!

Tech-savvy Catawba County, N.C., sheriff's deputies had nabbed one burglary suspect, when the 16-year-old suspect received a text message on his cell phone asking if he had been caught.

One of the deputies sent a text message with the word "no."

Following several other text exchanges, the message sender offered to pick up his buddy.

Deputies were waiting and arrested a 17-year-old.

The teens face charges of larceny and breaking and entering.

Friendly crowd

Two Simmern, Germany, policemen were taken aback when they were greeted with applause after being called to quiet down a post- midnight noisy birthday celebration recently.

The all-female revelers, toasting a friend's 30th birthday, mistook the officers for male strippers, a popular costume for which is a policeman's uniform.

The women had not ordered dancers, but thought someone had sent them as a nice surprise.

A police spokesman said it took the party-goers a while to realize they were dealing with real cops, but "It was a bit funny for all sides."

Exactly like stealing candy from babies

A woman has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for the role she played in robbing trick-or-treaters at gunpoint in Talkeetna, Alaska.

Kendra Butts, 19, was sentenced for agreeing to cover up evidence in the truck police say she and others used in the robbery last year.

Butts still faces sentencing on a state robbery charge.

Butts and another woman, wearing ski masks, shot a gun into the air and held up seven children, stealing their candy.

Police nabbed Butts following a phone call to her from convicted felon Michael Wilson, another suspect, who asked Butts to take guns out of the truck they used, or set it on fire to destroy evidence.

Butts agreed, but did not do as Wilson asked.

She was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Judge finds girl's name disabling, changes it

New Zealand Judge Rob Murfitt had had enough.

It's bad enough to name a baby Apple, Denim, Sailor or Banjo - seriously, real names - but Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii was just too much.

The 9-year-old girl was the object of a custody battle.

Murfitt made her a ward of the court so that her name could be changed.

To preserve the child's privacy, her new name was not revealed.

Murfitt said her parents showed poor judgment in selecting such a stupid moniker for the girl.

"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily," he said.

In his opinion, Murfitt listed other goofy names that have been blocked by registration officials, such as Fish and Chips, Sex Fruit and Keenan Got Lucy. Names the judge said have been allowed include Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter.