Crime Blotter: Candidate Arrested for DWI in One Night
Oct. 13, 2005 -- -- A political candidate is arrested for DWI twice in a single night; an alleged burglar is caught hanging naked from a ceiling; and a man is found in a school, clad only in his underwear, allegedly downloading porn. As this week's "Crime Blotter" shows, sometimes the naked truth can be quite sobering.
Political Candidate Arrested for DWI Twice in One Night
VERNON, N.Y. -- An upstate New York political candidate is allegedly battling more than his opponent in his quest for a city council seat.
Brian Karst, a independent candidate for Oneida City Council, was arrested twice for allegedly driving while intoxicated in one night on Oct. 7. Oneida city police said Karst had a 0.14 percent blood-alcohol content -- nearly twice the legal limit of 0.008 -- when he was pulled over, ticketed and then released to a third party. Three hours later, authorities said, Karst was pulled over again and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.11 percent.
Police said Karst's DWI arrests were his third in the past month. He was arrested Sept. 9 for driving while intoxicated and said at the time that police had targeted him to sabotage his campaign.
"They are targeting me, trumping up charges to make my candidacy in the city election null and void," he said.
Karst is running against two-term Democratic incumbent Donald Moore. Despite his legal troubles, he said he is staying in the race.
"Just because I'm accused of something doesn't mean there aren't things that still need to be addressed," he told The Post-Standard. "I believe in democracy and that people should not run unopposed."
Karst's uncle, Terry Karst, chairman of the Independence Party in neighboring Madison County, said his nephew has been under stress after a divorce and a custody dispute. Still, he has encouraged him to continue his campaign.
Alleged Burglar Busted in the Buff
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- There are plenty of crime buffs out there, but what about crimes in the buff?
South Carolina police officers said they found Michael Gilbert, 22, hanging from the ceiling naked when they responded to the alarm at Check 'n Go cash advance office in Darlington on Oct. 6. According to the police report, officers noticed tiles, insulation, wires and metal braces hanging alongside Gilbert before he dropped from the ceiling and tried to open the front door and leave.
Police said Gilbert was able to explain how he ended up in the ceiling, but was at a loss for words about his nakedness.
"He said somebody threw his keys on the roof and that's why he was up there," said Lt. Danny Watson. "He kind of got fuzzy on the taking all his clothes and sliding in the store part."
Watson said authorities believe Gilbert took off his clothes so he could fit through an air vent in the roof of the building. Besides being charged with burglary and facing embarrassment over being nabbed in his birthday suit, Gilbert is confronting one more insult to his injury: Police say the cash advance business did not have money on the premises at the time of the break-in.
Undie-Clad Man Caught Inside School, Allegedly Downloading Porn
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- A Connecticut man was found in nothing but his underwear inside a school when police caught him allegedly downloading pornography on an office computer.
Police said they were responding to an alarm at Bridge Academy charter school on Oct. 9 when they found William Hoskins, 31, at a computer displaying porn on the screen. They also found a duffel bag, clothing, a wallet with a identification card from the state Department of Correction and a bucket that contained what appeared to be urine.
According to police, Hoskins said he had left a bar and entered the school building to use the bathroom. He has been charged with third-degree battery.