Idle hands...yada yada yada

He was bored.  Which is why, an Ocala teen told police, he gathered up some glass bottles, filled them with lighter fluid, then topped them off with rags made of toilet paper.  Though he denied throwing or lighting then, police said they had evidence to the contrary, in the form of witness testimony.  Which is why they arrested the 16-year old on a charge of making firebombs Wednesday, according to Gainesville.com.  Police said the boy told them he'd learned to make Molotov cocktails by watching TV.

For once, at least, the Internet did not get blamed.

Homeless man repays kindness with a shove

A 28-year old transient was arrested for aggravated battery on a person older than 65 after pushing an elderly woman to the floor in her home.

According to the Ocala Star-Banner, Trevor Galloway hung around Ida Kirby’s house all weekend drinking with the 80-year old’s grandson, who lives at the house. Kirby allowed the deaf, mute homeless man to stay over Saturday night.

However, on Sunday, when Kirby saw Galloway walk into a hall closet she tried to stop him. That is when Galloway pushed her to the ground, breaking her hip. Then Galloway pulled the phone cord from the wall and fled.

Marion County Sheriffs said Kirby’s grandson was too inebriated to help with the investigation. However, a couple hours after the incident Galloway was found when a call for a suspicious person matched his description.

Sharing the wealth

It was easy come, easy go, for some students at an Ocala elementary school, after a cafeteria worker discovered that a $20 bill a student was using to pay for lunch was counterfeit.

The worker notified a school official, who learned that an 8-year-old boy had been giving the fake bills to other students, according to Ocala.com. The boy had $380 in fake bills when officials talked to him, according to a police report. Officials found a total of $880 of worthless money.

According to a police report, the boy told a Department of Children and Families official that one of his guardians "would beat him for taking the money to school." The boy was placed in the custody of DCF because both his guardians, whom police were unable to locate, are named on outstanding warrants.

So how do you run with seven pairs of shoes down your pants?

Police arrested a 31-year old Ocala man Thursday after he made it out of a TJ Maxx store with seven pairs of Puma athletic shoes stuffed down his pants.  According to the police report, Lamont Maurice Ritter then ran through a nearby neighborhood, where a homeowner chased him down and held him until police arrived.  Ocala.com reported that police took Ritter back to the store, where he was ID'ed as the alleged shoe bandit.  Police said Ritter told then he'd taken the shoes, worth $279.93; on his way to jail, he showed officers where he'd stashed them.  (Image:  girlshealth.gov)

Yet another nominee for Father of the Year...

Ocala.com reports that police arrested a 40-year old Ocala father Thursday night on a lewd and lascivious battery charge after the boy's mother turned him in for arranging a sexual tryst for their 15-year old son.  The assignation reportedly took place after some ongoing father-to-son taunting.  Police said the man rented a room at a local motel, dropped his son there, picked up a woman and drove her back to the motel.  Sexual activity ensued.  Police, who are still investigating, are not sure whether the woman was a prostitute or a girl the son's age.

Who was that unmasked woman?

It was easy to identify the woman who held up a Chevron station because she was a regular customer,according to Ocala police and a store employee.

So regular that her name and photo were on file because she cashed paychecks there, according to Ocala.com.

And, of course, there was surveillance video of the $40 robbery. Police didn't need that to arrest Leila Ann Shoukry, 27.

Ocala brat learns respect after exile to Africa

Amanda Tillander, the spoiled Ocala teen showcased on MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16” got another dose of reality.

According to the Gainesville Sun, MTV producers selected Tillander for another show: “My Super Sweet 16: Exiled!” The now 19-year old taped the show in October and is the subject of the first episode, which airs tonight.

Some might recall Tillander was the bratty teen who had a conniption when she had to drive in -–oh my–- an Acura rather than a limousine to her lavish $203,000 party.

This time, Tillander lived with the Maassai, an African tribe in Kenya. She stayed with a family that had a daughter her age. Tillander also lived without water, electricity and certainly cable tv.

“It’s not about having the finer things in life. It’s nice to have, but you don’t have to throw it in other people’s faces. You can spend money on better things besides shoes and purses. You can use money to help people in need and the less fortunate,” Tillander said.

Maybe he had a hot date

An Ocala man bulldozed his SUV repeatedly into the front door of a convenience store early Thursday, then ran inside and stole two packs of condoms, according to the Orlando Sentinel.  Police said 37-year-old John R. Herdmann was gone by the time law enforcement showed up. but he was readily located hiding in some nearby bushes.  Police linked Herdmann to the crime after reviewing a surveillance tape.  He was arrested and charged with commercial burglary.  (Image:  Marion County Sheriff's Office)

Forget electric-hybrids, here is the next green ride

Seeking fuel efficiency? Look no further than Umatilla.

According to the Daily Commercial, that is where 82-year-old George Chubaty has built his 65 mile per gallon roadster for the last 25 years.

Chubaty created Imported Cars of Dover, a company in Delaware, and started building the IMCADO MK-50, an ultra-light weight, four seat roadster in 1968. The car features a four-cylinder engine, a fiberglass body and an airplane-like instrument panel.

Nothing beats in-depth police work

It's amazing what those crime scene investigation folks can do with just a tiny scrap of evidence - like, say, the suspect's name. According to Ocala.com, a man accused of robbing two banks Monday wrote notes at both banks demanding money and warning that he was armed. Trouble was, he wrote the notes on personal checks. Ocala police say the suspect, Patrick Shane Johnson, 33, was arrested in the back of a cab witnesses had seen leaving the second robbery.