Baggy pants foil a thief, and more

Baggy pants foil a thief

A man who allegedly robbed a Florida church was caught when his baggy pants slipped down around his ankles, foiling his getaway. Police said that Anthony Jason Garcia, 31, grabbed the cash drawer from the church’s gift shop and sprinted off, with church worker Joe Larkin in hot pursuit. Garcia’s oversize pants slipped down his legs as he ran, and when Larkin dove at the suspect, he pulled the pants down further, tripping up the thief and leading to his arrest. “Had he had a belt, this may have been a different outcome,” said a sheriff’s spokesperson.

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A Japanese prison housing some of the country’s worst criminals has unveiled a cuddly mascot that officials hope will soften its image. Officials at Asahikawa prison, known as one of the country’s toughest jails, hope “Katakkuri-chan”—a 79-inch-tall humanoid with a large square face and a purple flower for hair—will show the surrounding community that murderers, rapists, and other criminals aren’t all bad. “Prisons have the image of being isolated places that have no contact with the rest of society and are surrounded by imposing gray walls,” said an official. “We made the character to change [that] image.”

Vanilla or castoreum? Know the difference!

The anal secretions of beavers smell similar to vanilla and may be used to flavor baked goods and ice cream, says Sweden’s National Food Agency. The animal’s anal glands secrete a substance called castoreum, which is sometimes used in perfume and processed foods. But the agency said that widespread use was unlikely, since “the beaver is not an animal which is bred, so supply is not that great.”