Man jailed for throwing double-decker taco

First there was the Asda employee jailed after he allegedly licked a chicken, now a man in the USA has been jailed for throwing a Taco at a Taco Bell manager. What is it with food-related crime? When I was growing up, my padre and momia used to tell me not to waste food as some children weren’t lucky enough to have it. Now it seems that slinging a steak at someone when you’re annoyed is becoming the norm.

The man involved in this incident was going through a drive-thru at a Taco Bell in Fairbanks, Alaska, when he threw the double-decker taco at the food-outlet manager. The 31-year-old claims he chucked the taco because he spotted spit in it after he had already gone twice through the drive-thru because the incorrect order was given to him. Taco Bell denies that there was spit in the taco, instead claiming the man was trying to get free food.

As well as being sentenced to a day in jail, the man has been put on a year’s probation. A condition of it is that he can’t go to Taco Bell.

Now I'm not throwing in judgment here, because who knows what really happened. But perhaps this story will serve as a warning to others – if you like a food enough that you want to keep eating it (and what’s there not to like about tacos), then don’t go throwing it at people. I’m certainly going to be keeping my firm favourites (paella, gazpacho, churros, pizza etc…) close to my chest from now on.

Busted! Police find drugs growing in an old school bus

On I spy a crime we often highlight examples of criminals doing stupid things, like the Dutchman who reported his Ecstasy collection as stolen. Today I've read a story about some crims who seem a little more creative than your average crook.

Three men in North Carolina have been caught growing marijuana plants in, of all places, an underground school bus. The bus was buried eight feet into the ground, underneath a garden shed. Lenoir County Sheriff's Office says they had been looking for the source of the area's marijuana for years and had previously tried spotting the plants using a helicopter. It was only when a police dog fell through a disguised trap door to the bus that the underground loot of 68 plants was discovered.

Usually cannabis factories are easier to spot than this. These days police regularly use heat sensoring technology to detect them from the air, but they still need to be pointed in the right direction by the public. Watch the video below about the tell-tale signs so you can keep your eyes peeled.

Funny calls to Crimestoppers: Osama bin Laden does some shopping at Tesco and more

I’d call myself a serious kind of guy. It’s fair to say that I rarely crack a smile when I’m suited and booted…or rather cloaking and, even though I say so myself, looking smoking. But when I read the latest funny calls received by Crimestoppers, I couldn’t help but laugh.

For example, our call handlers received a call from a prisoner complaining that his toilet roll had been stolen, and a woman suspicious of her bald neighbour using a hairdryer early in the morning. They also heard from a man who was certain he’d just seen Osama bin Laden leaving his local Tesco, and a caller who wanted to complain that a drug dealer had sold him tree bark instead if skunk.

Despite the hilarity, there is of course a very serious crime-fighting message too. Crime doesn’t take a break for Christmas and some crimes even increase over this period. The charity Crimestoppers is available to take information about crimes year-round, even on Christmas day.

Enjoy the funny stories crime-fighters, but don’t forget that you can be a superhero too. Just contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or fill out the secure online form on the charity’s website to pass on information about crime anonymously.