Jim Cara thought it would be really funny to get a license plate reading "NOTAG" for his motorcycle.
That's until the plate came in the mail with over 200 unpaid parking tickets, reports the News-Journal of Wilmington, Del.
"All the traffic tickets say: 'Notice of violation. License number: no tag,'" Cara, of nearby Elsmere, Del., said.
John Rago, spokesman for the Wilmington mayor's office, explained that the city and state computer systems had finally found what they'd been looking for — a match for "No Tag" and an address to send the tickets to.
"I messed up the system so bad," Cara laughed. "I wonder if they can put me in jail or something."
Kelly Pitts, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said Wilmington was the only jurisdiction using the specific computer code generating the tickets.
Cara, 43, said he's been pulling pranks his entire life, but that this time, "the cleanup is going to be worse than the joke."
There was no indication Cara would be held liable for the violations.
Vanity-plate applications are screened for vulgar and distasteful phrases, Pitts explained, but "NOTAG" was neither. She suggested Cara change the number.
He disagreed.
"I want to keep it," he told the newspaper. "I think it's awesome."
— Thanks to Out There reader William V.
JERUSALEM (AP) — A young monkey at an Israeli zoo has started walking on its hind legs only — aping humans — after a near death experience, the zoo's veterinarian said Wednesday.
Natasha, a 5-year-old black macaque (search) at the Safari Park near Tel Aviv, began walking exclusively on her hind legs after a stomach ailment nearly killed her, zookeepers said.
Monkeys usually alternate between upright movement and walking on all fours. A picture in the Maariv daily on Wednesday showed Natasha standing ramrod straight like a human. The picture was labeled humorously, "The Missing Link?"
Two weeks ago, Natasha and three other monkeys were diagnosed with severe stomach flu. At the zoo clinic, she slipped into critical condition, said Igal Horowitz, the veterinarian.
"I was sure that she was going to die," he said. "She could hardly breathe and her heart was not functioning properly."
After intensive treatment, Natasha's condition stabilized. When she was released from the clinic, Natasha began walking upright.
"I've never seen or heard of this before," said Horowitz. One possible explanation is brain damage from the illness, he said.
Otherwise, Horowitz said, Natasha's behavior has returned to normal.
Woman Gets Stuck to Kitchen Floor
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (AP) — When Joyce Stewart sits down to her daily cup of coffee, she likely won't attempt first aid on herself again.
On Monday morning, Stewart used 3M's liquid bandage to treat a crack on her heel and within minutes her foot was glued to the floor. It took three paramedics over an hour and a bottle of baby oil to free her.
Stewart, 59, of Martinsburg had positioned her left foot so that her heel was off of the floor and applied the liquid to the back of her foot. Without realizing, the liquid had run from the back to the ball of her foot before she placed her foot flat on the floor again.
Soon after, her grandson came in from and asked for pancakes. When Stewart tried to get up and move to the kitchen, she couldn't.
"I said, 'Oh my gosh, I'm stuck,'" Stewart said.
Stewart said that her relatives first thought she was joking. With a knife, she tried to loosen the linoleum's grasp on her foot. But after skin began to pull away and her foot started to bleed, Stewart said she realized it was no laughing matter.
She sought help from her daughter, who lives next door. When family members failed to solve the problem, they called 911.
Though the package states that the product runs easily and sets quickly while warning against getting the product on furniture, counters or clothes, it says nothing about warning against the gluing of body parts.
"They should have that on there," Stewart said.
Representatives from 3M have offered to pay for her medical expenses, Stewart said. She is expected to make a full recovery, but it may take her pride a bit longer to heal.
"I was embarrassed," she said. "I was still in my robe."
A company spokeswoman reached Wednesday morning in Minnesota did not have an immediate comment.
— Thanks to Out There readers Tim A. and Scott U.
ATLANTA (AP) — An airline passenger wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms stole a baggage tractor at the city's main airport and drove it onto an active runway early Wednesday, police said.
Atlanta police say Robert W. Buzzell, 31, had walked out an exit door that had an alarm at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (search).
Flights were not affected by the incident, which took place before 6 a.m., airport officials said.
The man was stopped by mechanics who asked him for an employee identification card. When he could not provide one, they escorted him to an office and called police.
Authorities said the man appeared mentally unstable.
Buzzell, who had a ticket for a Delta (search) flight, was jailed on charges of unlawful interference with security, theft by taking and reckless conduct.
Police said Buzzell, of Warner Robins, Ga., told Delta employees that an alarm sounded when he opened the door to the tarmac, but that no security personnel were around.
Airport officials said they are working with police and the airline to determine if security changes need to be made.
— Thanks to Out There reader Kris P.
Speeder Saves Cop a Bit of Trouble
WINFIELD, W.Va. (AP) — Putnam County Sheriff's Deputy John Hedrick was surprised when a speeding vehicle he was chasing squealed into a county parking lot and its driver got out and ran toward a judicial annex. Turns out, the suspect was late for a very important date — in court.
"I thought it was kind of a weird situation, but it kind of worked out all right," Hedrick said. "He got to court, then he got the ticket."
The chase began Wednesday when a vehicle zoomed past Hedrick's cruiser at 60 mph in a 35-mph zone on U.S. 35. Hedrick pursued the vehicle, with his cruiser's lights flashing and siren blaring, as it turned up a hill and headed toward a cluster of county buildings.
The vehicle screeched to a stop in a parking lot outside the sheriff's department and the driver, Charles Daniels of Beckley, ran toward the judicial annex. Hedrick captured the man and discovered why he was in such a hurry.
"He was late for a court hearing," Hedrick said.
Hedrick let Daniels make his court date and alerted a bailiff. When Daniels left the courtroom, he was taken to the sheriff's department and cited for speeding and driving on a suspended license.
Chickens Make Like 'The Fugitive'
LONDON (AP) — A busy highway near Oxford in central England was closed in both directions Friday when around 1,000 chickens escaped from a truck that collided with four other vehicles, injuring four people.
"They were all over the carriageway," said a spokesman for Thames Valley Police (search).
The birds' escape could be short-lived: Thousands of shooting enthusiasts, game keepers and falconers are in the area for a game fair organized by the Country Land and Business Association.
"We are going to ask [them] if there are any wagons or nets that we can use to get the chickens together," said the police spokesman, who spoke with customary anonymity.
Crack Addict Gives Away $10,000
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former burglar, alcoholic and crack addict has donated $10,000 to the art gallery where he had panhandled for years after inheriting $187,000 from his long-estranged mother.
The executors of the woman's estate tracked down the man, who was identified only as Don, a month ago through his Social Security number and help from local social workers.
One of the first things Don did was show his gratitude to Blue Room Gallery (search) owner Paul Mahder for treating him with respect.
"When I had a heart attack and wound up in the hospital a year ago, who was the only person to visit me? Paul. And when I needed a doorway to sleep in over the past couple years, who let me? Paul," Don said. "He treated me like a human being. That's something you don't forget."
Both men burst into tears when Don presented his check.
"We both stood there crying," Mahder said. "Me, because I knew how much this meant to Don. And Don was crying because, I think, he was able to really do something big for something he really cared about."
Social workers are helping Don manage his money. He has bought a $35,000 trailer and has started drug and alcohol counseling, the paper reported. He also bought a Rolex watch and tipped cab drivers with $100 bills.
Compiled by FOXNews.com's Paul Wagenseil.
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