Turkey Tussle, Cat-Loving Burglar, Toy Grenade: Weird Florida

Patch operates 24 daily news sites in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. The following are some of the more unusual stories that have had people talking over the past few weeks:

Toy Grenade Prompted St. Petersburg Scare

The St. Petersburg Police Department has given an all-clear following a Friday morning scare about a possible grenade found on a stretch of private beach.

Man Duped Woman, 74, with Sale of Fake Burial Plot: Deputies

An elderly New Port Richey woman hoping to address end-of-life issues found herself the victim of a crime instead when a man sold her a fake funeral plot for more than $2,000, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

‘Creep-In,’ Cat Loving Florida Burglar Busted, Cops Say

St. Petersburg Police say they’ve caught the man responsible for giving a Shore Acres resident quite a fright in mid-November.

Turkey Tussle Resulted in Thanksgiving Stabbing: Deputies

A 55-year-old New Port Richey woman faces criminal charges after Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies say she stabbed her husband during a fight over how their Thanksgiving turkey was prepared.

Tampa Woman Rented Out Pasco Homes She Didn’t Own: Sheriff

A 43-year-old Tampa woman faces criminal charges after Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies say she pretended to own two homes so she could rent them out to unsuspecting victims.

Battery Brouhaha, Racial Slurs Prompted George Zimmerman’s Bar Bouncing: Deputies

George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch captain who was catapulted into the news following the 2012 shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, is once again making headlines. This time he’s accused of slinging racial slurs, creating a brouhaha in a bar and saying a deputy was “under qualified to flip burgers.”

Deputies Fish Drowning Suspect Out of Canal

A 39-year-old man who reportedly tried to flee Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday night by diving into a canal ended up requiring a save from the very law enforcement officers he tried to run from.

911 Audio: Squirrel Rampages at Florida Senior Community

Sharks, alligators, the occasional bear and stray monkey tend to top the list of culprits involved in Florida wild animal attacks. Squirrels generally aren’t even a blip on the radar.

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