Strange Court Cases Straight From East Texas — Our Top 4
You hear about weird court cases on the news about stupid people who do stupid things to end up in jail. You hear these stories and you think, "How stupid can someone be?." Well, you'd be surprised. Here are a few examples of local East Texans who broke the law and made headlines all over the country, all thanks to their lack of common sense.
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Modern Day David vs. Goliath
Personal Audio, a patent licensing company located in Beaumont Texas, sued Apple Inc. for $84 million for infringement on two different patents. Personal Audio claimed to have patented "playlists" while Apple claims the patents were invalid. Well, it looks like David took down Goliath and Apple was ordered to pay $8 million to this little East Texas Company.
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When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go
This story made national news, and there is a good reason why. Seventeen-year-old Corey Webb was on trial for shooting at a peace officer during an escape attempt from a juvenile facility. In the middle of his trial, he decided he needed to use the restroom. And just like any normal person would do, he marched over to the trash can and relieved himself -- in the middle of the courtroom -- in front of the judge, jury, everyone. When you gotta go, you gotta go, no matter the circumstances.
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Man Had 70+ Exotic Snakes, Fed Them Pets Adopted Off Craigslist
Snakes that are kept as pets are technically allowed to be fed mice, whether they are dead or alive. Apparently, David Beauchemin didn't get that memo. He posed as a pet adopter on Craigslist and would feed those pets to his 70-plus snakes that he kept in a cargo trailer behind his mobile home in East Texas. Beauchemin is being charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty.
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Nicest Murderer You'll Ever Meet
This is one of the biggest things that has ever happened here in East Texas. It's so big that Hollywood decided to turn it into movie. Marjorie Nugent, of Carthage, was an 81-year-old widow who just happened to be pretty wealthy. Her manager, Bernie Tiede, knew that and took advantage of it. He killed Marjorie, but for nine months made it seem as though she was actually alive. People in Carthage to this day still do not believe that Bernie committed this crime, because he was the nicest person in town. This will make for one interesting movie. Jack Black's portrayal of Bernie Tiede in "Bernie" is set to hit the big screen in March 2012.