Six strange stories of crime, cops and courts

The Northern Lights may have seen strange sights, but they've got nothing on CBC's police and court reporters.

A litany of unusual, strange and bizarre stories from the world of crime and courts have crossed the CBC Saskatchewan news desk over the past 12 months.

Here are six that had people talking in 2014: 

1. Ice bucket challenge gets man into hot water — It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. A North Battleford man ended up in police custody after having a bucket of ice water dumped on his head. His buddies told police he asked to have it done, but after it happened, he became angry and had to be locked out of the motel room. He was charged with violating a court-ordered undertaking to stay away from alcohol.

2. Man tosses snake at Tim Horton's — Earlier this month, a customer in a Saskatoon Tim Horton's became upset when he didn't get the onions in his sandwich diced the way he wanted them. At that point, according to police, he took a live garter snake and threw it behind the counter. People in the restaurant were alarmed and quickly fled, as did the perpetrators.
Two men were charged with mischief and causing a disturbance. The snake, named Outlaw, wasn't harmed. It was taken in by the Humane Society, in the hopes it would be adopted.

3. Nine-year-old takes bus for joyride — Lots of vehicles get stolen every day in Saskatchewan ... and not just cars and pickups. Snowmobiles, semi-trailers, even cement mixers are targeted by thieves. But nothing topped the Saskatoon city bus taken for a joyride early in September. The alleged thief was a boy, nine. The bus crashed, causing damage to several vehicles, although nobody was hurt.
Police were called, but since the boy was under 12, no charges were laid.

4. Man calls 911 about chicken —  The way some takeout food is prepared might be criminal, but you shouldn't call the Mounties about it. A complaint in North Battleford about underdone chicken went to the RCMP via a 911 call. Police were not amused. 911 should be used only for genuine emergencies, they say. 

5. Nude man bites police dog — There's a saying in the journalism business is that "dog bites man" is a not a news story but "man bites dog" is.

A man in Prince Albert took that one step further after a wild car chase that ended with a car crashing into a ditch and a confrontation with a German shepherd.

The man, naked and allegedly high on drugs, ran away. When a police dog caught up with him, the man allegedly bit the dog. He was facing numerous charges, including animal cruelty. 

6. Hockey fight? — Rodney Dangerfield used to tell a joke about a street brawl where a hockey game broke out.

Something similar seems to have happened not too long ago in North Battleford, according to the RCMP. 

Here's how the Mounties reported the call: "Complaint of assault with hockey sticks on Borden Crescent, turned out to be a serious game of street hockey." No charges were laid.