AROUND THE STATE
Panhandle sheriff involved in excessive bonus scandal
An audit released April 6 by investigators stated a Florida panhandle sheriff paid out more than $1.35 million in bonuses to employees between 2003 and February 2009 based on supposed performance incentives.
Gov. Charlie Crist suspended Okaloosa County Sheriff Charlie Morris and called the bonuses a kickback scheme after investigators charged the sheriff with taking part in the scheme.
Morris kept more than $88,000 of the bonus cash, while his office manager Teresa Adams – who was also arrested – collected more than $108,000.
The audit discovered 14 employees were involved.
AROUND THE NATION
Domino’s joins bailout mania, gives away 11,000 pizzas
Domino’s inadvertently joined the bailout madness March 30 when someone stumbled on an online promotion the company decided not to approve when it was first proposed in December.
Someone apparently typed “bailout” into a Domino’s promo code window on its Web site and found it was good for a free medium pizza.
Word spread quickly through the Internet March 30, and more than 11,000 free pizzas were delivered before it was deactivated March 31.
Cincinnati-area franchise owner John Glass said his 14 stores gave away more than 600 pizzas, but Domino’s promised to reimburse him, according to USA Today.
AROUND THE WORLD
Brazilian police: Prisoners smuggling phones via birds
Brazilian police announced April 1 that inmates are using carrier pigeons to smuggle cell phones onto a prison farm in Sao Paulo.
Police inspector Celso Soramigilio said guards near the city of Scorocaba prison caught a pigeon March 25 with individual pieces to construct a cell phone inside a bag tied to one of its legs.
The following day, another pigeon with a charger tied to its leg was discovered.
The birds were bred and raised at the prison, then smuggled out, had the parts attached to its leg and released to fly back.
Soramiglio noted that pigeons “instinctively fly back home — always,” according to the Associated Press.
Compiled by James Cannon II.
