Crazy News Stories of The Week: May 2nd, 2014

Your latest edition of crazy news stories…only in Florida, folks.

1. “Go Big or Go Home”

Jody Arcuri, 31, allegedly ran over a skateboarder while drunk and high, killing him.

Arcuri was high on crack, meth AND prescription drugs when she struck and killed 22-year-old skateboarder Stephen Michael Wilson back in February as he crossed the street.

Arcuri, frazzled and confused at the time, submitted to a blood test and tested positive for alcohol and drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine and the prescription drug Valium.

Witnesses told police she was texting or talking on her phone, but Arcuri told police she’d blacked out just before the crash.

Witnesses saw Wilson’s body tumble onto the hood of Arcuri’s car, shatter the windshield and then break off a sideview mirror before flying into the air and finally coming to rest on the concrete.

Arcuri turned herself in Wednesday, looking drastically different from her drug addled mugshot at the time of the incident; she had noticeably gained some weight. Perhaps the incident has motivated her to get clean. Arcuri faces a manslaughter charge.

2. No Nookie for You

Around 9 a.m, Fort Pierce police responded to a domestic disturbance at the apartment of Megan Douglas, 24, her 26-year-old boyfriend, Eli Strunk. The couple admitted that they had spent all night snorting cocaine. It’s what happened next that escalated the situation to where cops were called.

According to the report, “Eli stated that he wanted to have sex with Megan and she agreed and then told him no. Eli stated that made him angry and that’s when he broke the bedroom door in half and ripped it off the hinges.” Eli then “stated that’s when he went to apologize to Megan, by kissing her feet, at which point he stated she bashed his head into the tile floor.”

Strunk and Douglas were each arrested on battery-related charges. Investigators said that the apartment was “in shambles” and that there were broken beer bottles littering the floor and the bedroom door was broken in half.

3. Bathroom Break-In

A bizarre case of trespassing at a Naples construction site involved a neighbor catching a trespasser practically with his pants down.

When a property owner went to check on his new home, which is under construction, he found a stranger in his pool bathroom.

“I’m in shock. It’s a really nice neighborhood,” said Royal Harbor neighbor Doug Smith. “He was being shady. He got caught,” Smith said.

According to the report, when confronted, Frank Stratman initially claimed he was just getting water. His story then changed, saying that he needed to use the toilet. And then Stratman took off running.

After police stopped the bathroom bandit, officers said he repeated his story, admitting three times over, “I was just using his bathroom.” What Stratman said he meant to say was that he was looking at the lawn. Being a construction site, there was porta-potty out front. So, why didn’t he just use that, if he was in such dire need of a toilet? He told investigators he was going to use that but didn’t.

4. New Trending Fashion: Werewolf

A former Forever 21 store assistant manager, who had been previously fired, returned to the store in a wolf mask and held up his old boss, said Orlando cops.

The culprit, identified as Joshua Hughes, 28, remained in the Orange County Jail without bail early Thursday on a charge of robbery with a deadly weapon while wearing a mask, a first-degree felony carrying up to life in prison.

Police say Hughes entered the store around 11 p.m. He waived a gun and demanded cash in “big bills only” from a manager and then fled the scene. Police later released video of the robbery.

The affidavit says an investigator assigned to the case was told by several people, including the manager, that Hughes, a fired former assistant manager, resembled the culprit.

Hughes agreed to be interviewed and told investigators that he used a pellet gun, the affidavit states. He also told authorities where to find the gun and mask, police say.

5. Drama Thick

A 16-year-old girl who called her parents and told them that had been abducted was apparently making the whole thing up. The girl called and told her distraught parents that she had been pulled into a truck by two men Tuesday night before shutting off her phone in an act to play up the ruse.

But later, Ankita Lavender admitted that she made the whole thing up as a ploy for sympathy from her ex-boyfriend.

Investigators said the girl was actively hiding herself so as not to be found during that short but intensive search for her. Apparently, Lavender and the boy recently split and, when questioned by police, she admitted she decided to “play the sympathy card” and made the story up.

If you or someone you love is struggling with substance or addiction, please call toll-free 1-800-951-6135.