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Double Trouble
In March, a single
mother in the Brazilian
state of Goiás went to
court to secure child-
support payments from
a deadbeat dad. In the
end, she got twice what
she bargained for. The
child’s DNA matched
that of a set of identical
twins, each of whom
denied being the father.
The twins’ attempts to
shirk responsibility
were thwarted, how-
ever, when Judge Felipe
Luis Peruca ordered
that both men pay up
and be listed as the
youngster’s parent—
giving her two dads
for the price of one.Up in Flames
When committing a
robbery, it pays to bring
the right tools. That’s
what a pair of Florida
would-be thievesdiscovered after they
bungled a heist in May.
The duo were spotted
on CCTV camera trying
to use a blowtorch to
destroy an ATM and
get at the cash inside.
Unfortunately, their tac-
tics ended up enhanc-
ing security—the heat
from the blowtorch
welded the hinges shut,
making it effectively
impossible to open. The
two ran off after their
trial-and-error-by-fire,
presumably to get a
head start on their new
ATM-security business.Dine and Dash
Calgary restaurant
workers launched an
online manhunt in June
to find a serial dine-
and-dasher. The culprit
was hardly subtle: he
frequently sported a
robust moustache and
a black cowboy hat.Using the alias Michael
McDonald, Michael
Gene Roderick Huppie
would allegedly chat
up the staff, give them
roses and tell elaborate
stories to earn their
sympathy before run-
ning off. His charm,
and his luck, ran out
after victims posted his
photo online. On June
28, a customer spotted
the lonesome cowboy at
a restaurant and tipped
off the staff, who con-
tacted the police. Hup-
pie was charged with
one count of “fraudu-
lently obtaining food,”
though many more
restaurant workers
chimed in on Twitter to
accuse him of skipping
out on bills at their
establishments. Huppie
was apprehended in full
yee-haw regalia right at
his table, his bill yet to
be paid.BY Alex Vermanrd.ca 43WORLD WIDE WEIRD