Boston Blotter: The Fur Flies Free

--Why toss a bucket of paint on a richie's fur coat when you can stop furs at the source? In Hinsdale on Monday, someone set about 400 to 500 mink who were destined to become pricey furs free from a farm. That's a lot of mink to let loose! The owner of Berkshire Furs is naturally blaming the "antifur people." No one's been caught yet, and the owner said the animals wouldn't be able to survive in the wild for long.

--The animal activists should have been around when a New Bedford man went after a pit bull with a lead pipe. The pit bull didn't do anything to the man, and it appears that the man, Brentwood Knowles, was just trying to get at his ex-girlfriend by attacking her pet. The pet is now at the vet's.

--A prankster set a Port-A-Potty aflame at a construction site in Melrose. That's not newsworthy except for the fact that the Port-A-Potty aficionado also set one on fire at a Medford ball field last week. So, if you're in Melrose and you smell something burning and think it smells like shit, that's because it probably is.

--Remember that case in which a woman tried to get money out of Wendy's by sneaking a severed finger into her chili? People still haven't learned that variants of "waiter, there's a fly in my soup" don't work. Ronald Evano admitted that he and his wife willingly ate glass so they could complain about it and score settlement money. Eating a finger seems like an easier way of earning a buck, but that's just us.

According to the AP, "The scheme began when Mary Evano went to a hospital claiming she ate glass at a Boston restaurant. The couple settled with the restaurant's insurer for $22,000, according to the indictment." The Evanos proceeded to eat glass in Braintree and Quincy, along with restaurants in other states.

Whatever happened to the good old dine 'n' dash? Sure, you have to be physically fit to outrun the wait staff, but it has to be better than treating your tummy like a recycling bin.

--Lots of blotter news today. Our last entry involves a personnel change. Governor Deval Patrick has made the Transit police chief, Joe Carter, the head of the Massachusetts National Guard. This appointment doesn't seem to be as controversial as BPD chief Ed Davis' recent staff shuffle.

All charges alleged until proven under law. Bostonist does not endorse dining and dashing. Or eating glass, for that matter. Or hitting pit bulls with lead pipes. Or setting Port-a-Potties on fire. Image of PETA's memorable "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign from Wikipedia.