Swiping scents

PARIS - French police say 1 million euro ($1.2 million) worth of Givenchy perfume has been recovered after it was stolen by masked thieves from a warehouse in the middle of the night.

The scented bounty was taken a week ago from Beauvais, near Paris, and was discovered on Tuesday, according to local police official Jean-Marie Salsat.

Salsat, who revealed details of the perfume heist Friday, said the bottles were found unused, with the stoppers still in.

The Sipa news agency, quoting unnamed police sources, reports that several robbers had overpowered a perfume warehouse night watchman. They later loaded trucks with the fragrances produced by the French house Givenchy, part of fashion giant LVMH.

The thieves are still at large.

TME – We’re pretty sure this item doubles as the plot synopsis for “Ocean’s 14.”

Everybody’s a critic

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The music stopped at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach after a minor league umpire ejected the music guy for playing ‘Three Blind Mice’ during the game.

The ejection came in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game between the Daytona Cubs and the Fort Myers Miracle.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports Cubs manager Brian Harper was arguing a call at first base when he heard home plate umpire Mario Seneca bellow “you’re out.”

Harper says he thought he was being kicked out of the game. Instead, the umpire ejected the music man.

The public address system at the stadium was shut down for the rest of the game. The newspaper reports fans took it upon themselves to announce players as they approached the plate.

The Cubs won 2-1.

TME – That ump is just lucky the guy couldn’t find his Thomas Dolby cassette.

So lova-bull

SHERWOOD, Ark. - A bull in the mood for love damaged an Arkansas sheriff’s patrol car when it tried to mount a man who was leading the animal across a yard.

Authorities said Wednesday that a Faulkner County sheriff’s deputy was responding to a call about a bull running loose when he saw the man slapping and trying to guide the bull.

The Log Cabin Democrat reports that as the patrol car drew near, the animal reared up and pinned the man against the vehicle. According to the deputy’s report, the bull then “tried to mate with him.”

The bull then lost interest and followed a truck down the road.

The patrol car sustained minor damage, though no injuries were reported. The bull’s owner says it was the animal’s first escape.

TME – No word on whether the bull even bothered to call the next day.

Lawnmower man

CLINTON, Tenn. - It was Lonnie Michael Haney’s seventh drunken driving conviction that got him sent to prison. It was on a lawn mower.

Anderson County District Attorney Dave Clark told The Knoxville News Sentinel the court sent Haney “back to ‘Go,” a reference to the board game Monopoly.

In a plea bargain Monday, the 48-year-old Haney pleaded guilty in exchange for a two-year sentence and $3,000 in fines.

An Anderson County deputy, who knew Haney’s driving license had been suspended, saw him on a John Deere riding mower on the shoulder of a road in Oak Ridge in August 2010. The deputy said Haney’s speech was slurred, his eyes bloodshot and he didn’t do well in field sobriety tests.

Haney must serve 30 percent of his term before release.

TME – You really have to admire the man’s commitment to his craft. Next level stuff.

Like a bad neighbor

PUTNAM TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Authorities say a Michigan couple got an unexpected visit from a drunken 27-year-old neighbor who wandered into their cottage and climbed into bed with them.

The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus of Howell reports that the man showed up in their Putnam Township bedroom around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

Police say the couple left and called 911, and that officers found the man deeply asleep with his shorts partly down.

Police say the intruder said, “This isn’t my house,” upon waking. He explained he went out drinking nearby after putting his 2- and 4-year-old children to sleep at his own home a few doors down.

The children were found sound asleep and placed with neighbors. Their father was booked on suspicion of illegal entry and released on bond.

TME – According to what we’ve seen on the internet, this story should have ended much differently.