In general, the local paper's "Cops and Courts" column is depressingly free of diverting crime reports. there are, however, occasional departures from the norm...like this one:

"The Sheriff's Office reported today that there's nothing new in the search for the naked man seen posing like Superman near Aptos High School."


Here's another from the paper's online blog:

"Two guys who live up in the Soquel hills near the Summit got into it last night — while one piloted a backhoe and the other drove the "ranch car," a 1985 yellow Cadillac DeVille. They banged the vehicles into each other for a bit, then got into a fist fight, according to the Sheriff's Office. The guy in the Caddy managed to get away, hopped on a four-wheeler and rode it down to Soquel San Jose Road, where he called 911. They took the other guy to jail for assault with a deadly weapon — the backhoe. Believe it or not, deputies say alcohol was involved."

Claire