Cops: Mom, Son Stole (Lots of) Gopher Feet

This isn't just a story about the theft of gopher feet in Minnesota—it's a story about the felony theft of gopher feet in Minnesota. As KAAL-TV reports, a mother and son have been charged with stealing hundreds of pairs from the garage of a trapper in Harmony. It's felony status because local townships pay about $3 per pair in the name of varmint control. Police checked around "to determine if anybody had turned in a large about of gopher feet, and it was discovered that Harmony Township had received many, many gopher feet," says the Fillmore County attorney.

As in, about 1,400 pairs for a payday north of $4,000. Tina Marie Garrison, 37, has pleaded not guilty, and her 18-year-old son, Junior Lee Dillon, is still awaiting his hearing, reports the Rochester Post-Bulletin. They face five years in jail if convicted. "I’m afraid I'm going to have to put a lock on the freezer, maybe," says the trapper. (More strange stuff stories.)