Weird Iowa: Death-Defying Drinking, Video Games at White House, Battle Over Football Trophy
Weird quantities of alcohol consumed, weird drug-related crimes, and weird trophies add up to Weird Iowa.
Some Iowans choose at times to do weird, even risky things. And somehow, they survive.
A man defied death despite recording a blood alcohol content twice the lethal (not legal) limit and may have the dubious distinction of being the most intoxicated person ever arrested in Johnson County, including Iowa City. Justin A. Clark, 24, of North Liberty, was arrested after local police received reports of a driver colliding with curbs. Police say he was unable to answer officers' questions or get out of his vehicle and perform sobriety tests -- and that his blood alcohol level was .627.
A 36-year-old West Des Moines man was arrested on charges of repeatedlywhipping his teenaged son with a belt when the youth refused to violently retaliate against a group of teenagers suspected of breaking into the family’s home to retrieve a marijuana pipe. The dispute started over a missing marijuana pipe the teen’s parents had confiscated after finding it in his room.
Two Urbandale men are among three people arrested in the past week as part of the investigation into a home break-in in the southern Iowa town of Leon.Four suspects reportedly held a woman and her three children at gunpoint asking for drugs and cash. Daniel Fletcher, 22, and William Crawford-Beveridge, both of Urbandale, have each been charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and four serious misdemeanor counts of unlawful imprisonment.
Hospitalizations caused by the use of synthetic marijuana -- which was outlawed after a teen died while on the substance two years ago -- are rising in Marion and Cedar Rapids. Police found a man who was "extremely intoxicated" on the substance, lying in the middle of 16th Avenue Southwest in Cedar Rapids recently; he was taken to Mercy Hospital.
Johnston Editor Ashlee Kieler is a having a weird battle of the sexes debate on her site. The cause? Should her boyfriend get to put his bizarro/beautiful fantasy football bobblehead trophy/eyesore on the mantle in their living room? You can comment and help end the family feud.
Douglas Gentile, an associate professor of psychology at Iowa State University in Ames, has an invitation to the White House next week to lead a discussion about video games affecting behavior. That's really more cool than weird -- it's definitely different. To be clear, he is not going to play video games, just talk about them.
Weird Rewind:
Weird Iowa: Constipated Cow, Totally Indecent Exposure and Losing is the New Winning
Weird Iowa: Naked Baseball, Puzzling Politics, Doing Drupal and Anybody Seen Brett?
Weird Iowa: Naked on the Mall, Ice Substitutes for Cash, 'Bridezilla' Blows a Gasket
Weird Iowa: Oops! Do-Over on Council Vote, Little League Obscenities, and Bush League 'Parenting'
Weird Iowa: Raucous 'Dancer' at Pride Parade, a Busload of Nuns, Doggie Doo, and Bar-Hopping Baby
Weird Iowa: Littering With Fish, Garage Sale Assault and Iowa Mistaken for Omaha
Quirky Videos, Weird Crime, Dirty Dancing, Stolen Flags and Officials-At-Odds: Weird Iowa
Weird Iowa: Godzilla Attacks, 'Ma Barker,' Too Many Drunks, and the State Goes to the Dogs
Weird Iowa: 'Aliens' Attack, Zombies Live and Who Got Beat Up by Steven Colbert
