"I have seen Rudolph the Reindeer get arrested, Santa get arrested, and now a Teletubby. You can’t make this stuff up!"
Terez Owens, a Lehigh University student, has been accused of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct
for allegedly causing damage to a friend's Pennsylvania home while wearing a yellow Teletubby costume and stealing leftover Chinese food.
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| photo credit TheGiantVermin |
Owens was allegedly dressed as the Laa-Laa character from the BBC children's series when after damaging a door early Sunday, he entered the friend's refrigerator and spilled sweet and sour chicken and sesame chicken onto the floor and into a purse he had with him.
The "Teletubby" had also cut himself and left blood everywhere before leaving. Owens was found a short distance away with the Chinese food in his purse.
The residence, a rental unit, endured $495 worth of damage, police say. While no charges were filed initially, DiLuzio says the home's occupants apparently changed their minds after the landlord became involved.
The 20-year-old suspect will receive a summons from the office of Judge Nancy Matos.
Oddly enough, this isn't the first bizarre case that the Chief of Police has seen. "I have seen Rudolph the Reindeer get arrested, Santa get arrested, and now a Teletubby. You can’t make this stuff up," he said.
Vocabulary:
- accused: if you are accused of a crime, a witness or someone in authority states or claims that you did it, and you may be formally charged with it and put on trial.
- criminal mischief: committed when a perpetrator, having no right to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he/she has such right, intentionally damages property of another person, intentionally participates in the destruction of property of another person, etc.
- disorderly conduct: unruly behaviour constituting a minor offence.
- allegedly: an alleged fact has been stated but has not been proved to be true.
- leftover: something, especially food, remaining after the rest has been used or consumed
- spill: cause or allow (liquid) to flow over the edge of its container, especially unintentionally
- purse: a small bag used especially by a woman to carry everyday personal items
- residence: a person's home; the place where someone lives
- rental unit: a place that is offered for rent
- worth of damage: if a court of law awards damages to someone, it orders money to be paid to them by a person who has damaged their reputation or property, or who has injured them
- no charges were filed: no formal charges of wrongdoing against someone were filed
- suspect: a person who the police or authorities think may be guilty of a crime
- receive a summons: summons is an official order to appear in court
