German Special Forces Confused For Terrorists
Authorities say German special forces nearly caused an international incident when employees at an Arizona hospital suspected that the soldiers were terrorists and reported them to the FBI.
The Telegraph reports that the soldiers had permission to be on U.S. soil, but suspicious behavior and lack of communication led to an incredibly tense situation. Germany’s Special Forces Command (KSK) regularly holds special parachute training in the town of Eloy, Ariz., because the town’s weather conditions make it ideal for freefall exercises.
In early February, prior to the KSK’s most recent outing, two special forces soldiers were sent to a local hospital to inquire about medical facilities in case a trainee became hurt during the proceedings. The soldiers reportedly refused to show identification when asked and, instead, produced papers bearing NATO troop movement orders.
Hospital staffers were concerned and immediately reported the incident to the FBI. The bureau contacted the German embassy in Washington D.C., but authorities at the embassy were unaware of the training exercises, as the KSK failed to notify it.
It reportedly took several calls between authorities in both the U.S. and Germany before the matter was straightened out. It is unclear whether the two soldiers involved in the incident were disciplined or why the KSK was behaving in a secretive manner about troop movements that were not a secret.
The KSK has been ordered to register with the German embassy before taking any training trips to the U.S.
Bomb Squad Defuses Kitten Incident
A bomb squad was sent to investigate a suspicious bag that was left outside of a church. Instead of explosives, officers found a cat and her newborn kittens.
According to CNN police were called to the scene after the bag was found conspicuously placed on the ground outside of an Ohio church.
“When Specialist Mike Grimes and Det. Detherage arrived, they didn’t hear ticking they heard purring!” said the Butler County Sheriff’s Office Facebook account.
According to a note that was left with the feline family, the mother’s name is Sprinkles and the kittens were only born the day before.
“Momma and babies are warm, cozy and fed at the Animal Friends Shelter,” the Sheriff’s Office reported. The animal shelter posted on Facebook following the ordeal and said the whole cat family was safe and doing well. “Sprinkles, purring throughout it all, received her vaccines and blood test and appears to be in good health. She’s doing a fantastic job nursing and caring for her babies, and all seven will be placed with their foster family this afternoon.”
The shelter said they will be posting updates on the family over the next two months.
Four Shooting Suspects Share Name
Four suspects involved in an Arkansas shooting all share the same name.
According to News Channel 3 in Tennessee, three suspects were arrested last week in connection to the shooting of a man in Earle, Ark. One more suspect is still at large.
Arkansas police say all four men are named Stacy Abram.
Chief investigator with the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department Todd Grooms told reporters that the case broke open when police were called to a Dollar General where two men were brandishing firearms. “One of them was one of the guys we were looking for. Other arrests were made,” Grooms said. Deputies reportedly found many weapons in two separate vehicles belonging to the men, including an assault rifle.
According to police, Stacy Orlando Abram was arrested on charges of terroristic threatening and first-degree battery; Stacy Shunta Abram was arrested for the illegal possession of a firearm; and Stacy Abram Jr. was charged with furnishing a prohibited weapon to a felon.
The fourth suspect, Stacy Malcolm Abram, successfully eluded police and is currently wanted.
Investigating four suspects with the same name has proven tough for law enforcement. “When you’re going out and you’re trying to find answers and you’re talking to witnesses or you’re talking to people in the city, asking about those names, or what happened, a lot of times they’ll give you that name, but then you’ll say, which one was it?” said Grooms.
School Principal Fixes Child’s Haircut
A middle school principal fixed a child’s sloppy haircut instead of disciplining him for wearing a hat.
CNN reports that Jason Smith, the middle school principal at Stonybrook Intermediate and Middle School in Indianapolis, Ind., was faced with a tough decision last week when one of his students, a young teenage boy, refused to remove his cap. Wearing hats is against the school’s dress code, but the student would not budge.
“I sat across from him and asked, ‘What’s wrong? Why are you being defiant, why are you refusing to take your hat off? It’s a pretty simple request,’” Smith told reporters. “And he explained that his parents took him to get a haircut and he didn’t like the results.”
Smith said the haircut looked fine to him, but he understood how important a teen boy’s self image can be.
“I told him, ‘Look, I’ve been cutting hair since I was your age,’ and I showed him pictures of my son’s haircuts that I did and some of me cutting hair in college. And I said, ‘If I run home and get my clippers and fix your line, will you go back to class?’” Smith said. “He hesitated but then he said yes.”
After receiving permission to cut the teen’s hair from his mother, Smith fetched his clippers from home, fixed the student’s hair and sent him back to class. The teen was not disciplined for the dress code violation.
“All behavior is communication and when a student is struggling, we need to ask ourselves what happened to this child instead of what’s wrong with the child,” Smith said.