Judge Orders Men to Dress in Drag

— -- Ohio Men Get Dressing Down From Judge

COSHOCTON, Ohio — Don't cross Municipal Court Judge David Hostetler, or you may end up cross-dressing.

After convicting two men of throwing beer bottles and denting a car, Hostetler gave Jason Householder, 23, and John Stockum, 21, a choice between 60 days in jail or an hour-long walk down Main Street wearing dresses, make up and wigs.

Both decided that putting on women's clothing would be less of a drag than wearing jailhouse orange jumpsuits, and served their punishment last Friday.

Householder chose a basic black ensemble that the fashion police might approve: a black skirt and coat and a black wig. Stockum wore a red wig, a red dress and a fur coat.

"It was pretty good," said deputy court clerk Rhonda Wright. "You couldn't get up and down Main Street [because of the crowd watching them].

The felonious fashion parade was cut short however, when a spectator threw a soda bottle at them, hitting one.

The assailant was arrested and Householder and Stockum were allowed to end their walk.

It isn't the first time Hostetler has found creative ways to punish wrongdoers. Wright remembers when Hostetler sentenced young vandals convicted of throwing eggs, he ordered them to write 'I will not throw eggs' 1,000 times, and donate eggs to a local charity. He also ordered car vandals to auction off some possessions to pay for the damage they caused.

The judge noted that over-crowding local jails had inspired him to consider unusual alternative sentences.

When sentencing Householder and Stockum, Hostetler said, "Throwing the beer bottles put them across the line and into my clutches."

You Are What You Wear

SAN DIEGO — Some fugitives try to blend in with the general public to avoid detection; Richard Hansen chose to wear an orange shirt with the word 'Fugitive' printed on it in large block letters.

Hansen, a registered sex offender wanted for leaving a Chula Vista, Calif., halfway house, was spotted in Embarcadero Marina Park late Saturday night — wearing his 'Fugitive' shirt.