Florida Ranked Third for Serial Killers
Turns out if you live in Florida, you're significantly more likely to get murdered by a serial killer than residents of all but two other states, but were you really surprised by that data? 24/7 Wall Street combed through the Serial Killer Database (a real thing, co-run by Florida Gulf Coast University, naturally) to find out which states had the highest rates of serial killer murders since 1900.
Florida came in third in both total number of killings and adjusted number of serial killings per 1 million. Turns out 778 people have been offed in Florida by a serial killer since 1900, which works out to 9.92 serial killings per 1 million people. Nevada and Alaska were the only states with higher rates based on population. California and Texas were the only two states with more overall victims.
Wrinkles the Clown Will Scare Your Child for Money
No, this picture is not related to the serial killer item above. That's Wrinkles the Clown, a Naples guy who just likes to have a good time and occasionally get paid to scare children.
“He was scared of clowns, and I showed up across the street from him at the bus stop, and he just started crying in front of his friends and ran home,” Wrinkles tells the Washington Post of one of his recent jobs. “His mother called back a few days later and said, ‘Thank you!’ Now when he acts bad, she just has to ask him: ‘Do you want Wrinkles to come back?’”
Oh #Florida! As customers dined at restaurant, would-be burglar fell through ceiling. pic.twitter.com/Hwxy5XeHS4 via @ThatHoiPolloi
— Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) November 5, 2015Diners at the Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet in Daytona Beach were having a perfectly fine evening at what claims to be the city's largest buffet (located conveniently in the Kmart Plaza off International Speedway) when something odder than fries at a Chinese buffet happened. A man fell through the ceiling, as seen in the video above.
Turns out that man was 30-year-old Justin Grimes, and he had locked himself in the bathroom, removed some ceiling tiles, and shimmied all the way to the manager's office.
Diners could hear something odd happening above, and the manager went to his office, where he found broken ceiling tiles and, for some reason, a pair of flip-flops. He called police, but then Grimes ended up falling through the ceiling onto a patron. He tried to run away but was tackled and apprehended. Turned out he wasn't even successful in stealing anything from the office anyway.
Florida Town's Mayoral Race Decided by Draw of a Card
Here in Miami, a commission candidate pulled out of her runoff election, and the city is still trying to figure out what exactly that means and whether her opponent should automatically take office. In Bradenton Beach, they're a bit more lax about their electoral process.
Challenger William Shearon and incumbent Mayor Jack Clarke each received 195 votes in the small town's mayoral election. Both a machine and a manual recount confirmed the tie. So, according to Manatee County law, the tie would be broken by the luck of a draw. Yes, the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections sat the two men down at a table, had both men cut a deck of cards, and then laid them out. Clarke drew a ten of spades, but Shearon beat him with an ace, thus becoming mayor.
Odder still is that residents had recalled Shearon in 2014 and elected Clarke into office to replace him. Apparently, at least half of them regretted that choice.
