Key West's Naked Cyclist Writes a Guide to One-Upping the Police In Court

"Half the people down here know me as the 'Hatman,'"  Shahdaroba Rodd says. "The other half know me as the 'Naked Guy.'" Key West resident Rodd likes to bike around town wearing nothing but a G-string and a homemade stovepipe hat. He's something of a legend at Fantasy Fest, the weirdo town's annual convention of drunk-swinger debauchery. Predictably, Key West cops consistently ticket and arrest him. But Rodd is one tenacious son of a bitch, and his grasp of the law is better than you might expect from a dude who lives in a 1999 Dodge van. In fact, despite scores of arrests, Rodd seems to have gotten off every time while acting as his own attorney. And now he has written a book to share his fighting-the-Man magic with the rest of us. Last month, he also filed a lawsuit -- representing himself, of course -- alleging the City of Key West and two police officers made false statements while booking him. Key West town spokesperson Alyson Crean declined to comment about the suit. The 65-year-old Michigan native, born Rod Macdonald, bounced around Florida in his van before falling in love with Fantasy Fest in 1995. In 2001, Rodd was ticketed for biking without a light and not having a current address on his license. He fought the tickets in court, and after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation proved the officer had wrongly accused Rodd, he filed a federal suit against the cop. The suit was dismissed, but Rodd figures he came out a winner: The feds paid him $864 in expenses and a per diem to testify as a witness. In April 2009, he was ticketed for biking without a light -- even though his bicycle was covered in lit Christmas tree bulbs. He was then arrested for biking under the influence and disorderly conduct, but he got those charges tossed because police mistakenly hit him with the statute for boating under the influence. Six months later, he was arrested for indecent exposure -- while wearing only a loincloth -- and refusing a Breathalyzer test. Again, dismissed. Rodd successfully argued that refusing a breath test is a crime only when driving a motor vehicle. He's now representing himself in the suit accusing two KWPD officers of making false statements, official misconduct, and other charges. "There were 28 state law violations," Rodd claims, "some of which were third-degree felonies." Want some of Rodd's shit-disturbing wisdom? Buy his Amazon Kindle eBook, Be a Legal Pain-in-the-Ass & Beat Your DUI (or Other Criminal Charge). Key West's butt-baring Johnnie Cochran could use the $9.99. He lives on $573 in monthly social security checks. del.icio.us - Digg This

Cops had no problems catching up to this guy.

A homeless man — covered in ketchup — was sprawled out on a busy Key West, Fla., street, screaming profanities at tourists. The human hot dog was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. del.icio.us - Digg This

Key West Car 21 - Disappearing Car

Be careful where, and for how long, you leave your car in Key West.


del.icio.us - Digg This

Huge Goliath Grouper Haul

Capt. Tommy Lones, of the fishing boat Gulfstream, brought in a catch of 19 Goliath grouper with a total weight in excess of 5,000 pounds.

Fortunately, for Capt. Lones, this remarkable catch occured May 7, 1957, 55 Years ago.

Goliath Groupers (then called Jewfish) were declared endangered and have been protected since 1990.

del.icio.us - Digg This

Why Did Pirates Wear Eye Patches?

This joke provides a humorous explaination.

A journalist was interviewing a pirate with a wooden leg, a hook on his hand and a patch on his eye. The journalist asks him, how'd you lose your leg? The pirate replies: "ARG! I were fishin' in the sea an' a big ol' shark bit 'er clean off!" The journalist says, oh that's interesting, how'd you lose your hand? The pirate replies, "ARG! I were fightin' wi' these bloody theives wantin' to take me gold and 'e just chopped me 'and clean off an' and Ah got me a 'ook." The journalist says, oh, that's very interesting, so what happened to your eye? The pirate replies, "ARG! It were a dark an' stormy night an' the wind were blowin' and the lines were snappin' an' the parrot on me shoulder were so nervous 'e shat in me eye." The journalist says, "The bird poop gave you an infection which caused you to lose he eye?" The Pirate replies, "ARG! No, it were me first day Ah had me 'ook."

Finally a more reasonable answer to this long pondered question is offered in Solares Hill.

Sailors of the era never wore eye patches, nor did other fighting groups. It was all a trick. Should a pirate ship be boarded, the captain would retreat below decks. There he’d switch the eye patch to his other eye and immediately his vision was adjusted to the darkness. The pursuers would take minutes to switch their vision from bright sunlight. In fact they’d be dead before it happened.

del.icio.us - Digg This