Job Applicant Can't Wait to Steal From Work

A Florida man stands accused of theft — from the same store where he was applying for a job.

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office says Shawn F. Ashe, 23, of Jacksonville, partially filled out an employment application at a Gate service station (search) last Thursday.

At about the same time, the station's security camera caught Ashe snatching an employee's keys, going into an office, prying open a file cabinet and stealing 15 lottery tickets, according to the Florida Times-Union.

"We're not sure of the time frame, because different employees were working," said sheriff's spokesman Kevin Kelshaw.

The robbery was discovered after Ashe had left.

Four hours later, he returned to finish the job application and was arrested.

In his van, police found a set of keys and 15 lottery tickets — which had previously been voided anyway.

— Thanks to Out There readers Annette P., Stephanie S. and Brian F.

Used Car Instantly Gains $40,000 in Value

SLIDELL, La. (AP) — A reliable family car suddenly developed a tendency to decelerate, leading to the discovery that it had been driven for years with $40,000 worth of cocaine stashed in the gas tank.

A suburban New Orleans family had bought the 1996 Toyota Camry (search) from a used car lot in 1997.

"They hadn't had any major mechanical difficulties with it until last week," he sheriff's spokesman James Hartman said Tuesday.

When the car started losing speed, it was taken to a mechanic, who discovered two bricks of cocaine wrapped around the vehicle's fuel line. The wrapping had apparently come loose recently.

The car's owners are not involved in drug trafficking, Hartman stressed. Their names were withheld in case the owners of the stash come looking for them.

"Our investigators will now attempt to work backward and see where that vehicle had originated," Hartman said.

— Thanks to Out There readers Angelique R. and Mel L.

Woman Plunges Off Bridge in Car, Sinks, Lives to Tell Tale

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A woman was left amazed, but only slightly injured, after her sport utility vehicle fell 60 feet off a bridge and sank another 55 feet to the bottom of a river.

"You're in a car going off a bridge — you think you're done," Melissa Borgaard told The Oregonian newspaper for Monday's editions.

She said she had been speaking on a hands-free cell phone while driving across a rain-slicked bridge in downtown Portland on Saturday when she lost control of her SUV. It smashed through the guardrail and plunged into the water.

Borgaard — who said she doesn't remember everything — apparently unbuckled her seat belt, crawled through the broken windshield and kicked her way to the surface of the Willamette River (search).

As she floated on her back, she said she could hear cheers from a crowd that had gathered. She could also hear sirens because several people had called 911 on their cell phones.

Rescuers plucked Borgaard, 31, out of the river. The next day, she walked out of the hospital with minor cuts and bruises.

Officer Greg Pashley, a spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau, said Monday that Borgaard went off the roadway after crossing slick metal grating.

"She's very lucky — no doubt about it," he said.

— Thanks to Out There reader Greg M.

Hospital 'Squatter' Finally Evicted

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — An 82-year-old woman who has refused to leave Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center (search) for more than a year and has run more than $1 million in unpaid medical bills was removed from the hospital Tuesday on a judge's order.

Sarah Nome was taken by ambulance to the Lafayette Convalescent Hospital (search) in Lafayette. Marin County's public guardian, Michele McCabe, was given legal authority over Nome.

"It's a very unfortunate situation," Dorothy Jones, the chief deputy county counsel, who represented the public guardian at the hearing told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Personally, I would have much preferred for Nome and her daughter to have made arrangements for appropriate care."

As earlier reported in Out There, Nome's troubles began in August 2002 when she broke both her legs while living alone.

After several operations, Nome no longer could care for herself and was admitted to the first of several nursing homes. She said the latest nursing home sent her to the San Rafael hospital against her will in January 2004.

Admitted for a psychiatric evaluation, Nome was discharged a week later but had refused to leave, leading hospital officials to seek her eviction.

The ruling by Superior Court Commissioner Harvey Goldfine gives McCabe the legal authority to apply for Medi-Cal (search) benefits on her behalf.

Blind Golfer Scores Hole-in-One

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A legally blind man was skeptical when he was told he scored a hole-in-one at a local golf course.

"They've said it before," said Joel Ludvicek, 78, of Cedar Rapids.

Only this time it was true.

Ludvicek aced the 168-yard No. 11 hole at Twin Pines golf course with a driver.

He had to rely on his three golfing partners to confirm the feat.

"A big fluke — it's just one of those things," Ludvicek said.

He's been an avid golfer for years and this is his second hole-in-one. It's his first since he lost most of his vision because of macular degeneration.

He said his vision is hazy and he can't see things he's directly looking at.

Ludvicek, who tees up his own ball, said although the ace was special, it's no different from other golfers.

"It's funny how golf goes," he said. "Most of the time I have a heck of a time getting on the green. It's a fun game."

Seal Out of Water Paddles Through Suburbs

MIDDLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — Why did the seal cross the road?

A young harp seal native to the Canadian Arctic found its way to this landlocked suburban town Tuesday and waddled around on land before being rescued.

The seal swam about 30 miles up the Taunton River and two of its flood-swollen tributaries before setting out onto dry land, said marine biologist Belinda Rubinstein of the New England Aquarium (search).

It crossed a road before being spotted around 6:30 a.m. by a homeowner, who called police. The aquarium dispatched a team of scientists and volunteers to corral the seal and return it to safety.

Rubinstein, an expert on harp seals, said they are plentiful in the Arctic and often pass through New England waters on their winter migration. Still, it is unusual for any seal to make its way so far inland.

"It was a long, long way away from ocean," Rubinstein said.

Scientists were hoping to send the 34-pound seal, nicknamed Squirt, to the University of New England's marine science center in Biddeford, Maine.

Compiled by FOX News' Paul Wagenseil.

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