Rogue Cash Register, ‘Killing Spree,’ Hot Car: Weird Florida

Patch operates 24 daily news sites in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. The following are some of the more unusual, wacky, wonderful or just plain weird stories that have had people talking over the past few weeks:

Rogue Walmart Register Spits Out $20s (Video)

A trip to Walmart generally leaves folks just a little lighter in the wallet. That wasn’t the case for a group of people in Winter Haven a few days ago, according to police. Authorities say a self-checkout register went “rogue,” spitting out $20s instead of $5 bills to the tune of more than a $1,000 loss to the store.

Wild Search For Accused Stalker Nets 4 Arrests

A search for a 28-year-old New Port Richey man wanted on aggravated stalking charges took a few unusual turns Tuesday. Pasco County authorities say the man fled capture, tried to hit a deputy’s cruiser with a SUV and then inadvertently led them to a few other people accused of breaking the law. One of the three men arrested as a result of the initial manhunt is accused of threatening to shoot down the sheriff’s office helicopter involved in the search.

Stolen Wi-Fi Used To Threaten 'Killing Spree,' Sheriff Says

When New Port Richey residents called the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday about a “man down” on Loy Street, chances are they didn’t know they’d put deputies hot on the trail of a person wanted into connection with a string of online threats levied against the agency and its law enforcement officers.

Baby Left In 123-Degree Car Seat As Mom Paid Fine: Cops

An off-duty Plant City Police officer is getting the credit for saving a baby girl from a sweltering hot car on Friday. The baby was allegedly left in the vehicle parked outside the Twiggs Street Hillsborough County Courthouse so her mother could run inside to pay a fine.

Alligator Snarls Traffic On Florida Expressway

Pedestrians may not belong on Tampa’s Veterans Expressway, but that fact didn’t stop one from snarling morning rush hour traffic Wednesday. This particular interloper was a 9-foot gator who strolled onto southbound lanes near the Hutchison Road exit in the Carrollwood area around 6:30 a.m.

Krispy Kreme Glaze Mistaken For Meth: Man Arrested Sues Orlando

The Orlando man arrested on drug possession charges in 2015 when a police officer mistook a flake of Krispy Kreme doughnut glaze for methamphetamine vowed following his incarceration to sue. The 65-year-old has kept good on that promise and now has a case moving through the Orange County Court system.

Fake Cop Followed Woman Home: Deputies

A 55-year-old Bradenton man faces criminal charges after Sarasota County deputies say he followed a spa owner home over the weekend and then proceeded to rob her. The man is also accused of passing himself off as a police officer while visiting the woman’s Sarasota spa on previous occasions and during the alleged attack.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Highway Patrol