Crime Blotter: Ice Cream Man Punches Boy

May 13, 2005 -- -- An ice cream vendor gets cooled off for allegedly being hot-headed with a young customer; an alleged women's underwear thief is caught; and a chicken gets ticketed for crossing the road. Why do some people commit some peculiar crimes? To be immortalized in weekly editions of "The Crime Blotter."

PITTSBURGH -- Anger management awaits an ice cream man who got so hot under the collar with a young customer that he allegedly punched the boy.

A judge has placed Nazzareno Didiano, 44, on probation and ordered him to attend anger management classes for allegedly punching a 13-year-old boy who complained about the cost of his ice cream. In May 2004, Didiano, a vendor for Paul's Ice Cream Co., allegedly attacked the boy after the two had a verbal squabble.

At trial, the boy, now 14, told the judge that Didiano attacked him as he sat on his bike, punched him in the face and slammed him into a wall. Didiano admitted that they had a confrontation but denied punching the boy. He said the boy started the confrontation by calling him various obscenities.

"He instigated the whole thing," Didiano said. "I wanted to tell him I didn't appreciate being talked to like that."

Didiano was convicted of simple assault. He has since lost his vendor job with Paul's Ice Cream.

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- A man was caught panty-handed when police arrested him outside a college dorm.

On May 7, James Brian Eberle, 32, was arrested outside Shaw Hall dormitory at Westminster College with his pants stuffed with women's underwear, police said. Authorities had received multiple reports about a man lurking outside the dorm's laundry room.

Police said they decided to arrest Eberle after they noticed him hanging out outside the laundry room. He has been charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property.