On Oct. 18 in Bangkok, Thailand, Pittaya Moolin, 51, was arrested as he conducted a delicate procedure in the backseat of his vintage Toyota Corolla, the Daily Mail reported. Moolin, also known as Chang Yai Modify, allegedly offered genital enhancement treatments to men in the region in spite of the fact that he is not licensed to perform such services. He promoted his business on TikTok, offering penis enlargement, circumcision and pearl implantations, saying he learned how to do the surgeries by watching social media videos. "I became interested in this kind of work, so I studied and developed it as a side hustle to supplement my income," he said. Authorities found no sterilizing equipment in the makeshift operating theater, but they did find local anesthetics, surgical blades, needles and other equipment. He was charged with practicing medicine without registration and authorization, which could land him in prison for three years. [Daily Mail, 10/21/2025]

Animal Antics

Ray Ray the cat clearly did not want to be left behind when his family left their home in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, for Keene, New Hampshire, on Sept. 26, The Washington Post reported. After driving about 100 miles, Tony Denardo, Ray Ray's owner, stopped the family van for a bathroom break and discovered the 8-year-old cat clinging to the vehicle's roof. "How did this cat stay on there?" wondered Tony's wife, Margaret. "And he was completely unfazed." The family believe Ray Ray lodged himself in between luggage strapped to the van's top as they sped along the interstates. The Denardos leaned in, stopping at a pet store for a leash, harness, backpack and food for Ray Ray, and he joined the adventure. Tony carried him across the finish line at a marathon in Keene, and Ray Ray "seemed to really like Times Square at night," Margaret said of their stop in New York City. She plans to write a children's book about her pet's adventure. [Washington Post, 10/15/2025]

Suspicions Confirmed

You may have heard that gold prices are at an all-time high, so it's no wonder people are willing to go to extreme lengths to get their hands on it. Or, in this case, their private parts. Three women from Hong Kong were arrested in Japan on Oct. 20 for trying to smuggle about 8 kilograms of gold powder in their underwear, The Mainichi reported. The women were recruited by Masamori Nishimura, 34, they said, to conceal pouches of gold powder on a flight bound for Tokyo last summer. The precious metal was valued at about $650,000. The smugglers' payment? Cash and travel expenses. [The Mainichi, 10/21/2025]

The Passing Parade

Kira Cousins, 22, of Airdrie, Scotland, allegedly misled family and friends for months about her pregnancy and the Oct. 10 birth of her daughter, Bonnie-Leigh Joyce, the Daily Star reported on Oct. 20. She wore a prosthetic baby bump and introduced a plastic Reborn doll as her newborn -- even to the baby's supposed dad. Cousins also claimed the baby girl had health problems including a heart defect, which was why she wouldn't allow anyone to hold her. When her mom discovered the doll, Cousins messaged the would-be dad that Bonnie-Leigh had passed away, but the deception was soon revealed. "Everybody believed her," said friend Neave McRobert. "We were all so happy. I feel totally used and drained." Another friend said she had "noticed straight away that her bump wasn't real. You could see the straps on her back holding it on." Cousins declined to comment. [Daily Star, 10/20/2025]

Inexplicable

Residents of the Rockridge area of Oakland, California, are on high alert, KTVU-TV reported, after someone keeps throwing rocks through home windows. The attacks have been going on for almost a year. Luis Aguirre said his home was targeted three weeks ago, after which he installed security cameras. On Oct. 6, video caught the man throwing a rock through Aguirre's car window. "We got footage of the individual who did it," he said. "Just aimlessly walking in the middle of the street." Another homeowner said her duplex was hit six times in the last year. Neighbors have spent thousands of dollars repairing the damage. Oakland Police are investigating but can't confirm that the incidents are related. [KTVU, 10/16/2025]

What's in a Name?

When police responded to a call from a home in Crawford County, Kansas, on Oct. 18, they found a red pickup truck that had been stolen earlier in the week, KAKE-TV reported. Officers were told that the truck had pulled into the property and the driver had asked the resident for gasoline, and to "not call the cops." So they called the cops. The driver, Michael Jackson -- "and not the one who sang Billie Jean," they said -- was arrested for possessing stolen property. [KAKE, 10/19/2025]

Compelling Explanation

The trial began on Oct. 17 in Houston for Kristina Chambers, 34, who is accused of manslaughter, the Houston Chronicle reported. In 2023, Joseph McMullin, 33, was leaving a doughnut store with a date when he was struck and killed by Chambers' Porsche 911 Carrera. Police said Chambers was four times over the legal alcohol limit and had baggies of cocaine in her car and purse, and they estimated she was driving about 70 mph when she hit McMullin. He was thrown about 30 feet and died at the scene. Chambers' attorney, Mark Thiessen, however, posited that it was Chambers' Christian Louboutin shoes that caused the accident, claiming the heel got stuck on the car's gas pedal. Chambers could serve up to 20 years in prison if she is convicted. [Houston Chronicle, 10/17/2025]

Nature Gone Wild

Residents of Christmas Island, about 900 miles from Australia, are carrying rakes in their cars and avoiding driving at certain times as the annual red crab migration begins, ABC reported on Oct. 21. Each year, 100 million crabs leave their forest burrows and make their way to the ocean, where they lay eggs. "We have to put rakes in our cars and leaf blowers to ensure the crabs have a safe passage," said Christmas Island National Park acting manager Alexia Jankowski. "A lot of people, if they can, will work from home," said resident Megs Powell. "It's one of the most amazing wildlife experiences you can see on the planet," said Oliver Lines, director of community services. [ABC, 10/21/2025]

News You Can Use

Denise Bacon, 65, of East Sussex, England, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2014, The Washington Post reported. The condition affected her ability to walk, swim, dance and play the clarinet. Doctors at London's King's College Hospital recently revealed that Bacon underwent deep brain stimulation in July -- and played her clarinet during the procedure. As she played, doctors stimulated her brain, one electrode at a time. Neurosurgeon Keyoumars Ashkan said the effects could be seen immediately. As the right side of her brain was stimulated, he said, her left fingers were "flying," while her right-hand fingers were "stiff and slow and couldn't move." Bacon is "delighted" with the outcome and said she's "keen to get back in the swimming pool, and on the dance floor to see if my abilities have improved there." [Washington Post, 10/22/2025]

Saw That Coming

An accidental shooting left an 89-year-old woman with an injury to one of her legs on Oct. 20 in Flanders, New Jersey, the Daily Record reported. It happened at Frank's Pizza, where 70-year-old William H. Schmieding was having dinner with two friends. Schmieding unholstered his handgun and moved to clear the ammunition from it, but a bullet was fired, ricocheted off a chair and struck the woman. Schmieding, of White House Station, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, violating safe carry firearm requirements, and prohibited carrying of a firearm. [Daily Record, 10/21/2025]

On Oct. 10, during the 9 a.m. Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, an unidentified man climbed the Altar of Confession, dropped his pants to his ankles and urinated on the site, the Mirror reported. Hundreds of tourists looked on as plainclothes officers approached him; the Holy Pee-er was quickly removed from the premises after flashing a full moon at the gathered masses. Pope Leo was reportedly "shocked"; it was unclear whether he or another officiant was leading the service. [Mirror, 10/12/2025]

The Foreign Press

France's national postal service, aptly named La Poste, released a croissant-scented stamp on Oct. 8, France24 reported. Nearly 600,000 of the fragrant marks are intended to honor the "emblem of French gastronomy," the postal service gushed. "I had a stock of 1,000 stamps available," said Valence post office director Anthony Richet. "And on the first day, more than 400 stamps were already gone." The stickers can also be used for international mail. [France24, 10/8/2025]

Didn't See That Coming

Zimbabwean opposition lawmaker and poet Desire Moyo, 45, lost his life in a bizarre accident in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, the BBC reported. As Moyo and four others drove along the Bulawayo-Gweru highway, they crashed into an elephant. The other occupants of the car were injured; one of them said the elephant was struck on its backside, after which it turned around and started fighting the car. It is believed the elephant's reaction did the most damage and led to Moyo's demise. [BBC, 10/10/2025]

Questionable Judgment

Congregants at Legacy Faith Church in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 28 were confronted by their pastor, Phillip Thornton, wearing and wielding an assault-style rifle to illustrate his points during his sermon. WHP-TV reported that Thornton used the firearm to symbolize "clearing the room," or using spiritual violence against unbelief. At times, Thornton pointed the gun at the congregation, with a laser bouncing off church members. The church released a statement after concerns were brought to light, saying the gun was "disabled (firing pin removed), cleared and publicly shown to be ammo free." But Thornton also said, "I could get you, any one of you." The statement closed with gratitude for bringing "great attention" to the church. After all, there's no such thing as bad publicity. [WHP, 10/10/2025]

Ewwwww

First of all, apparently in the United Kingdom, ladybugs are called ladybirds. Regardless, one woman is fighting an epic battle against the cute spotted beetles in Hertfordshire, the Daily Star reported on Oct. 10. Lois Mallett-Walker's home has been invaded by "around 300" ladybugs, where they're covering her curtains, windows and walls. And, she said, "One peed on me and it stank." The 35-year-old tried to shoo the bugs outdoors but ended up vacuuming up some of them. "I love ladybugs, but it was far too many in my house for me." [Daily Star, 10/10/2025]

Fake News

Megan Ashlee Davis is a college student in Texas, Chron.com reported on Oct. 10. She is not a server at an Olive Garden in St. Louis, and she didn't get arrested for assault after throwing a basket of breadsticks at a customer. But Davis' life has been turned upside down since a Facebook account called Pure videos posted a (real) mug shot of Davis and claimed she had retaliated for a bad tip by tossing the treats at a diner. "It's probably like my worst nightmare coming to reality," Davis said. She admitted that the mug shot came from a night in August, soon after her mother died, when she was arrested for public intoxication. But this recent post has garnered harassing and creepy comments. "People are disgusting out there -- and scary," she said. "I feel small. Like, how do I even fix this?" [Chron.com, 10/10/2025]

But Why?

Wannabe magistrate Wilber Mateo, 45, of Kansas City, Missouri, was charged with burglary and stealing from a Jackson County, Missouri, courtroom, KSHB-TV reported. Surveillance cameras spotted Mateo inside the courthouse in Independence on Oct. 2 around 3:30 p.m. After speaking with workers there, he slipped into parts of the courthouse that are not covered by the cameras. Around 7:30 p.m., he was recorded entering a courtroom, where he apparently spent the night. The next morning, a witness saw Mateo and alerted officers; they found him wearing a judge's robes and carrying three bags. Inside the bags were a small brass dog statue, pens and a sticky note with login credentials on it -- along with three laptops, data storage, electronic devices and other office supplies. Mateo said he planned to sell the items to the highest bidder. [KSHB, 10/6/2025]

Unconventional Weapon

Former strip club employee Jordan Cotto, 26, arrived at Atlantis Gentlemen's Club in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 10, hoping to "speak with management," The Smoking Gun reported. Instead, he got involved in a verbal argument and grabbed a cheeseburger from his car, which he hurled at a male victim. The victim was unharmed, but police spoke with Cotto, who said he "did throw a cheeseburger from his vehicle" and "would do it again." Cotto was arrested for battery and eventually released on his own recognizance. [The Smoking Gun, 10/13/2025]

Special Delivery

Blake Michael Kuhlman, 26, a contract driver for Amazon, was arrested for first-degree assault after an incident in an Everett, Washington, apartment complex mailroom on Oct. 3. KRCG-TV reported that Kuhlman and a USPS carrier were in the room when an altercation took place, resulting in the mail carrier being shot in the head. Kuhlman admitted shooting the man, who will survive but lost an eye, because he said the man "was trying to charge at him while he was cornered." Kuhlman was allegedly armed with two guns, a large knife and a bulletproof vest; he told police that he had been attacked on numerous occasions and that he is being "cyberstalked" by the mafia. Kuhlman said he believed the postal worker might have been a "mafia assassin." His bond was set at $1 million. [KRCG, 10/7/2025]

Look What I Found!

-- When Erin Scott O'Brien sold her home in New Orleans in 2018, she left behind a marble tablet given to her by her grandparents, the Associated Press reported on Oct. 11. The "cool-ass piece of art" in her garden was covered by weeds until the current owner, Daniella Santoro, was cleaning up and found it. Santoro alerted her colleague at Tulane University, anthropologist Susann Lusnia, who identified the slab as a 1,900-year-old grave marker of a Roman sailor, Sextus Congenius Verus. He had died at age 42 after more than two decades of service in the imperial navy. More research revealed that the marker had been missing from the National Archeological Museum in Civitavecchia, Italy, since World War II. Now, the FBI is working with Italian authorities to send the tablet home. [AP, 10/11/2025]

-- Ann Vincent Walter of Hale County, Texas, was getting ready for work on Oct. 2 when her son, Hayden, called out to her, United Press International reported. He had spotted what appeared to be a weather balloon over their farm north of Lubbock, but when it landed, they discovered it was a mysterious piece of equipment attached to a parachute. Walter alerted the Hale County Sheriff's Office, who had already heard from NASA about a missing object. NASA said it was part of the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which was conducting experiments to help aid the accuracy of telescopes, but after launching from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, it had been blown off course. The CSBF collected the equipment, and Walter and her family got a day of adventure. [UPI, 10/14/2025]

Ohio state Rep. Thaddeus Claggett, of Licking County, introduced a bill in the state house in late September that would declare AI systems "nonsentient entities" and ban them from gaining legal personhood. WCMH-TV reported that the bill seeks to prohibit people (or other AI systems) from marrying AI. Claggett said the legislation would prevent AI from holding power of attorney or making decisions on another's behalf. He said Ohio is "attempting to put some guardrails in place so that we always have a human in charge of the technology, not the other way around." [WCMH, 10/9/2025]

Least Competent Criminal

Dude, don't confess your crimes to ChatGPT. In Springfield, Missouri, 19-year-old Ryan Schaefer went on a crime spree on Sept. 28 in a Missouri State University parking lot, The Smoking Gun reported. The college sophomore allegedly shattered car windows, ripped off side mirrors, dented hoods and broke windshield wipers. When Springfield police officers visited him at his apartment the next day, Schaefer admitted that the person on surveillance video did bear a "resemblance" to him and turned his phone over as evidence. Investigators found a conversation between Schaefer and ChatGPT, which included questions such as "what if I smashed the ... outta multiple cars" and "is there any way they could know it was me." Schaefer went on to make vague threatening statements to the AI tool; he was charged with felony property damage. [The Smoking Gun, 10/1/2025]

Hair Today, Gone

If you haven't made it to Leila's Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri, time is running out. Huff Post reported on Oct. 9 that the 30-year-old museum is re-homing its displays after the death of founder Leila Cohoon last December at 92. Museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Museum of Funeral History are collecting items from Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Monroe and, reportedly, Jesus. Cohoon's granddaughter, Lindsay Evans, said the process of finding new homes for the collection is helping her grieve: "Every time I come here, I feel her here." Cohoon concentrated on finding items from the 19th and 20th centuries, when people kept hair of the dead in jewelry or coiled it into wreaths. She worked with antique dealers all across the country to locate the pieces. "If it had hair, she got it," said Evans. "When this is empty, it'll break my heart a little bit." [Huff Post, 10/9/2025]

News You Can Use

The El Cortez Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has a sure bet for you: Casino.org is offering $5,000 to one person to spend a full weekend in the hotel, trying to scare up ghosts. The New York Post reported that the 84-year-old hotel, located on the "old strip," reportedly has in the basement the cremated remains of former employees who died without family, among other creepy features. The lucky winner will be furnished with "ghost-hunting gear" including EMF meters, EVP recorders and thermal sensors, and the ghost hunter will be expected to take photos and videos for evidence. [NY Post, 10/6/2025]

Awesome!

On Sept. 25, when an 86-year-old Oskaloosa, Florida, woman took her granddog for a walk, she didn't return after 10 to 15 minutes, as she generally does, her husband said. He called 911 and reported her missing, ABC News reported, and a sheriff's deputy set out to look for her. Deputy Devon Miller soon came upon Eeyore the dog, standing in the middle of the road. The dog "practically dragged" Miller to where the woman had fallen, and help was summoned. Recovering from her hospital bed, the woman was amazed that Eeyore had saved the day. "You're such a good boy. Grandma loves you," she said. [ABC News, 10/8/2025]

Don't Eat That!

-- An elderly woman named Zhang in Hangzhou, China, heard a rumor that swallowing live frogs could alleviate back pain, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 8. She asked relatives to capture some frogs for her (without explaining why) and consumed five in one day, and three the next. When her stomach pain became unbearable, her family rushed her to the hospital, and doctors determined that "Swallowing live frogs damaged the patient's digestive system and allowed parasites to enter her system," one physician announced. She was suffering from a Sparganum tapeworm. Zhang recovered and was discharged after two weeks. [Oddity Central, 10/8/2025]

-- Nathan Rimington, 33, a truck driver from Yorkshire, England, got a craving for gummy candies and went all in, ordering a 6.6-pound bag of Haribo cola bottle sweets, the Manchester Evening News reported on Oct. 1. Then Rimington went all in on eating them, finishing off the bag in three evenings -- all 10,461 calories. A couple of days later, terrible stomach cramps sent him to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with diverticulitis caused by the gelatin in the candies. After six days of IV fluids, he went home and hasn't touched a gummy since. "It was my own stupid fault, I've not eaten a cola bottle since," he said. [Manchester Evening News, 10/1/2025]

Repeat Offender

A business in Greenmount, Maryland, has been victimized three times by the same burglar, the owner, Tia Hamilton, believes. According to WMAR2-TV, Hamilton's store, DiGi Business Center, was broken into on Feb. 6, Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. "I noticed my register is gone; it's the same MO, he's not destroying anything," she said. "There are bars on the window, so you have to be super skinny to fit through those bars." Baltimore police are investigating, but the perp wears gloves and a face covering during the intrusions. "It's a violation to me when you steal," Hamilton said. [WMAR2, 10/6/2025]

The Aristocrats

As if the idea of toddlers driving motor vehicles wasn't breathtaking enough, now you can purchase a luxury car for your wee one, Oddity Central reported on Oct. 1. For the low, low price of $49,000, your tot can proudly sport around in a Russian-made scaled-down Mercedes-Benz SL300 with a top speed of 28 mph. The model, popular in the 1950s and '60s, features adjustable leather seats, functional lights and a subwoofer, for the kids' refined listening tastes. Happy motoring! [Oddity Central, 10/1/2025]

Bright Idea

Stephan Marcum of Stanton, Kentucky, is in hot water for his choice of Halloween decorations, LEX18-TV reported. Police were called to Marcum's residence on Oct. 4, where they found five "bodies" in trash bags with labels on them. The labels were "district judge," "mayor," "SIS," "C.A." and "zoning mgr." Marcum has reportedly had an ongoing dispute with the city over failing to hook up legal water, sewer and electrical services. The threatening decorations were erected sometime after a Sept. 30 court hearing about those violations. Marcum was charged with intimidating a witness in the legal process and third-degree terroristic threatening. [LEX18, 10/8/2025]

What's in a Name?

Avon and Somerset Police in England are hunting for Morgan Freeman, the Somerset County Gazette reported on Oct. 8 -- no, not THAT Morgan Freeman. This fugitive is 27 years old, white, 5-feet-4 and has light brown hair. "He is wanted on recall to prison after failing to comply with license conditions," police said. Maybe he's on the beach with Andy Dufresne. [Somerset County Gazette, 10/8/2025]