THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS!

COSTLY MISTAKE

After selling two vehicles for nearly US$23,000 in cash last August, a man in Oregon placed his haul in a shoebox. The low-security solution was temporary – he planned to spend the cash on a new vehicle a few days later. Unfortunately, his wife didn’t get the memo and chucked the container in the recycling bin, then brought it to the kerb. By the time the couple realised their mistake, the money had travelled to a recycling centre in California. After the facility received a panicked call explaining the situation, an employee spotted stacks of $20 bills moving along a conveyor belt and called the waste-management facility in Oregon to alert them that the cash had been recovered.

SNACK BANDIT

Police officers were called out last August to an unusual burglary: a raccoon was stuck in a vending machine at a local Florida high school. Students and

staff spotted the creature behind the glass, looking guilty. Though the raccoon appeared happy in vertical-snack heaven, the vending machine was wheeled outside and propped open, and the masked bandit eventually emerged snackfree. It hastily sped off to plan its next heist.

SCREEN TIME

Last year, homeowners in Virginia woke to find that old televisions had been left on their verandahs during the night. The eerie delivery only got creepier when home security footage revealed that they’d been delivered by an ominous visitor: the figure sported a navy tracksuit and gloves, and masked its face with what appeared to be an actual TV.

Before leaving, it turned to the security cameras and waved. Police have collected 52 TVs but are still baffled as to what the motive might have been. Hopefully the masked figure brings flat screens next time.