Odd Stories: Florida Police Seek Beer Thieves

Miami - Authorities in Florida said they are working to identify a group of thieves believed to be behind a string of convenience store beer thefts.

The Miami-Dade Police Department said four young men have repeatedly been seen stealing 12-packs of beer from convenience stores in the county.

Police said a security camera captured images of the men from a 3 a.m. heist Jan. 17 at a convenience store in the 9900 block of Southwest 142nd Avenue in Miami.

The security camera footage has been released to the public and police are asking anyone with information on the suspects to come forward.

Odd Stories: Teen Has History of Impersonations

Miami - It seems a teenager who was arrested for impersonation of a medial official didn't learn his lesson the first time he was arrested.

Matthew Scheidt was arrested for impersonating a cop on January 18th.  According to the undercover officer who arrested him, Scheidt drove up to him at a red light with a car designed to look like an unmarked police car and asked him why he wasn't wearing his seat belt.  According to police "The undercover officer made eye contact with the driver, and noticed that he [Scheidt] was conducting himself as an officer, using a laptop, and speaking with the officer using police jargon."

When asked twice if he was an officer, he told the undercover cop yes.  Upon arresting him, Scheidt was found to have a loaded gun, taser, handcuffs, a folding knife, a Motorola police radio, an ankle holster, and a black sheriff's T-shirt.  He's facing a charge of impersonating a police officer and two counts of carrying a concealed weapon..

Scheidt, who tried to pass himself off as a medical doctor at least three different times, also has to go to trial in March for falsely representing a doctor for two weeks.  During the time he "worked" at Osceola Regional Medical Center, he correctly performed CPR on a drug-induced heat attack victim and gave a man a physical.

Video

Burmese Pythons On "Banned Reptiles" List

Florida - Burmese pythons, which have endured extermination attempts in Florida to no avail, will be banned in the United States in 60 days.


Joined by Florida Senator Ben Nelson, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar released the news to the public at a news conference just outside Miami holding a 13-foot python.


Calling the act an attempt to “strike a balance” between the state's economic and environmental concerns,Salazar said "The action we're taking today is a milestone in the protection of the Everglades.” State and federal wildlife managers, along with environmental groups, scientists, and Florida lawmakers have hailed the move as a step in the right direction.


According the local biologists most of the Burmese pythons in the Everglades were probably released there by their owners once theyrealized the snakes can grow to 12 feet long within their first two years. The snakes, native to Southeast Asia, became legendary ever since they were first sighted in the Everglades 1970s. Known to eat almost anything, one python was found with a huge bulge from a recently eaten 76-pound deer.


The most notorious of the invasive species in the United States is not alone in the ban. Yellow anacondas and two species of African rock pythons are also included. On the pending list are five other exotic snakes, including the infamous boa constrictor.


Officials have a tough road ahead for them however, as the snakes also bred in the wild, savanna, and the swamps of the Everglades.

One of several famous snake pictures in which a python attempts to eat an alligator

Lawrence O'Donnell Knocks One Out of the Park

I haven't really watched mainstream news in a long time - sorry Rachel, Ed, and Lawrence I love you but I find what you guys don't cover to be pretty important too - but things like this make me want to do so.  I will let Lawrence himself say the words for me.  This needs to be taken to heart with ALL police stations not just now, when the heat is on them, but forever and globally.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

However these words must not just go for the press, but for ordinary citizens. By taping the actions of the police they are able to make sure the police do not violate anyone's rights yet not interfere with their job.  They also document the officers who do go beyond that line and start their own crimes.

Ever since the Rodney King beating was taped there have been laws put into place stating it is against the law to tape police officials. In the areas where this has not been the case, the police instead lie to civilians and tell them they are not allowed to do it despite the fact recording police is a sometimes the only way to make sure they don't go outside their boundaries.

If it wasn't  for taped events like the Rodney King beating, the police intimidation in Miami on Memorial Day earlier this year,  or the execution of Oscar Grant (and it WAS an execution), people would be less likely to believe these events happen.  One of the many things the Occupy Movement has brought to light, and they are many, is that police as a whole have no problem trying to stop people from recording what they're doing.  Now the ball is in the court of the police everywhere.  Stop preventing people from taping you whether they're press or civilian.

Odd Stories: Officer in Rush to Work Arrested

Miami - Late for his security job at a school, a police officer drove 120 mph to arrive as soon as possible.

Officer Fausto Lopez then, according to Florida Highway Patrol via The Associated Press, went on a high-speed chase. It concluded with him being arrested at gunpoint.

The police report about the event states another officer spotted Lopez's car dangerously changing lanes and constantly ignored orders to pull to the side of the road.

What punishment Lopez will face after his criminal case is to be determined.

 October 31st 2011 Update: Watch the video, which has more than 200-thousand hits already, here.