A suspected Colorado shoplifter may just have wanted to pick up something nice for Mother's Day.
Police tell The Gazette of Colorado Springs that Ashanti Black, 22, walked into the SoundTrack (search) consumer-electronics store in town Sunday afternoon, greeting employee Jason Caldwell with a friendly "What's going on?"
Caldwell said Black headed for the television sets, picked up a Philips 23-inch LCD display model worth $1,300, draped his jacket over it and started walking for the door.
When asked to stop, Black said it was a matter of life and death.
"He said he had to take it," Caldwell, also 22, told the newspaper. "He gave me some story about how someone was going to kill his mom."
To emphasize his point, Black allegedly whipped out a pocket knife and threatened Caldwell — and then requested a favor.
"Can you give me a 10-second delay before calling the cops?" Caldwell said Black asked.
Caldwell didn't wait that long, and police soon found Black at a McDonald's a block away. The TV was in the ladies' room.
Black was arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery, theft, menacing with a deadly weapon and drug possession.
Caldwell was half an hour late to a Mother's Day dinner, but as he told The Gazette, "I had a good excuse."
— Thanks to Out There readers Jacqui C., Scott S. and Gary G.
Guard's Freedom Worth 15 Pizzas
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Officials bought 15 pizzas to secure the release of a guard who had been held for 42 hours by inmates at an Australian top-security prison.
Police said Monday 20 prisoners were involved in the standoff, which began Saturday afternoon when inmates occupied part of Risdon Prison (search) on the southern island state of Tasmania (search), complaining about conditions in the aging institution and taking guard Ken Hannah hostage.
Hannah finally was released late Sunday night after authorities caved in to demands for pizza.
"The final sticking point with the inmates was that they were requiring pizzas to be delivered," said senior prisons official Graeme Barber.
"We had held off in relation to that — we obviously wanted the release of our staff member," he added. "Our staff member was negotiated out by the delivery of 15 pizzas."
The last prisoner involved in the siege gave himself up Monday morning. There were no injuries in the standoff.
— Thanks to Out There readers Dustin O., Eric A. and Peter L.
Parking-Meter Man Accused of Stealing Quarters
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — The man who was in charge of emptying parking meters in the town of Mount Kisco (search) has been accused of stealing more than $30,000 in quarters.
Jason Berke, 29, was charged with grand larceny, Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro (search) said Friday.
Defense lawyer James Lenihan said Berke pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday night.
"Nobody has bothered to tell me how they even determined that my client did anything wrong," Lenihan said.
Pirro said that from April to December 2004, Berke would deposit coins once a week in change machines at grocery stores to get cash.
The thefts stopped after village officials, suspecting a loss of parking-meter revenue, changed the meter collection procedures, the district attorney said.
If convicted, Berke could face up seven years in prison.
Suspected Drug Dealers Call Cops
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two brothers who called sheriff's deputies about a break-in at their apartment didn't take time to clean up the place.
They ended up in jail after the deputies they called Thursday allegedly found a pound of marijuana, other drugs and guns lying out in the open.
The brothers claimed someone who had broken in randomly planted the drugs, but the deputies didn't buy it.
One of the brothers said: "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to call police if I had drugs lying around the house?" Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Darren Carr said.
The front door had been kicked in and deputies believe someone actually did break into the apartment, but Carr said detectives believed Friday the intruders were drug associates of the brothers.
Inside the apartment, deputies found marijuana, two pounds of psychedelic mushrooms, an ounce of cocaine, two handguns, an assault rifle, scales and other drug paraphernalia.
Each was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail (search) for investigation of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a felony, and a misdemeanor drug possession charge. Each felony charge includes a firearms enhancement, Carr said.
Driver Defends Honor With Sword
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — A man is accused of defending his driving skills by pulling out a sword and popping a tire on another man's car.
Charles O'Neil, 36, was driving slowly on the Henri Burque Highway (search) last May 1 when someone driving behind him became annoyed, honked his horn and passed him, police said.
When both vehicles stopped at a light, the two drivers got out and started an argument that ended with O'Neil allegedly pulling out a broadsword with a blade more than 3 feet long and telling the other driver, "I ought to run you through with this."
Police said O'Neil also pierced the other car's tires and then drove off.
He's been charged with criminal threatening and criminal mischief.
Online Auction Seller, Sellee in Trouble
HAZEN, N.D. (AP) — A prank that involved putting a high school senior up for bids on an online auction service has landed the boy and one of his classmates in trouble.
The teenagers have lost their computer privileges for the rest of the school year, Hazen Principal Ed Boger said.
Dana Mattheis, the mother of the boy being "sold" on eBay, said she thought the prank was funny.
"Mr. Boger didn't," she said. "The whole thing has been blown out of proportion."
Boger said he does not know if the boys broke any laws. But he said the school has policies that prohibit using the computer network for commercial purposes or to post personal information about students.
Mattheis said the ad contained nothing inappropriate and the boys were just joking around.
The only bidders were two of the boys' friends, who ran the price up to $3,300.
The auction has been pulled from eBay.
Compiled by FOX News' Paul Wagenseil.
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