COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, SC, is offering lucky gardeners a chance to put in orders for its famed poop produced by elephants, giraffes and zebras.

Zoo spokeswoman Susan O’Cain says one cubic yard of the manure will be available for $43 a load. The manure sells out quickly, and each order is limited to two loads.

Zoo animals produce about 1,500 pounds of manure every day. For those interested in small amounts, pint-size and two-gallon buckets are placed at zoo entrances throughout the year.

O’Cain says the poop will be available for pickup on March 23. Orders may be placed through www.riverbanks.org.

Photo opp

SPOKANE, Washington (AP) — Armed with a good surveillance photo and a little help from the neighbors, police in Spokane made an arrest in a downtown bank robbery less than an hour after the crime.

KXLY-TV reports police arrested 49-year-old David Thometz across the street from the Washington Trust Bank branch — in his room at a hotel.

After the Friday-morning robbery, police started showing a surveillance photo of the robber to people in the area. Those nearby pointed them to the hotel.

KXLY says records show Thometz was convicted of robbing a Sterling Savings Bank branch in downtown Spokane several years ago.

Loot left behind

MADRID, Spain (AP) — There’s nothing like a flat tyre to ruin a carefully planned heist.

Spanish police say hooded thieves crashed a van into a courier service warehouse vault and made off with sacks of valuables on Thursday. They then fled in a waiting Audi, but crashed into another car as they merged onto a Madrid highway.

That caused the flat.

The four thieves carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint. No one was hurt and the thieves got away — but left most of their booty in the back seat of the damaged Audi.

The courier service SEUR said the stolen goods were things of “special value” worth no more than Euro50,000 (US$67,000), although Spanish newspapers said the amount was much higher. El Mundo said the loot included diamonds and Rolex watches.

Man arrested after cooking own meal at Denny’s

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) — Police say a Wisconsin man took the Denny’s restaurant chain slogan “America’s diner is always open” too far, marching into one of the restaurants, announcing he was the new boss and cooking himself dinner.

James Summers walked into a Madison Denny’s on Tuesday dressed in a maroon tie and black trench coat and carrying a briefcase, according to police. He strode into the manager’s office, told her he was the new general manager and then fixed himself a burger, fries and a soda before police arrived.

“This is why you don’t dine and dash, kiddies,” Summers yelled out to diners as officers took him away, police said in a release.

Police found a stun gun in a hip holster under his coat and crack pipes in his briefcase, a criminal complaint showed. Prosecutors charged him Wednesday with disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors, and felony possession of an electronic weapon.

According to the complaint and the police news release, Summers, 52, entered the Denny’s and found restaurant manager Tracy Brant counting out the day’s receipts in a back office. He announced he was her new general manager and would be starting work that evening.

Brant challenged him, saying corporate headquarters hadn’t notified her of any new general manager. She suggested he had the wrong restaurant.

But Summers maintained his story, growing more confrontational after Brant told him she didn’t believe him. He told her he was starting and that was final, investigators said in the complaint.

She was able to get Summers out of the office and close her door. She called a hiring manager who confirmed Summers didn’t work for Denny’s.

While she was on the phone, her cooks knocked on the door and told her Summers had prepared himself a meal. He was in the middle of eating when Brant confronted him again. She told him he didn’t work for Denny’s and he had to leave.

Summers shot back that he had worked for Denny’s for 30 years and Brant wasn’t going to tell him he couldn’t work there. When Brant asked him how he planned to pay for his $10 meal, he told her he wouldn’t — and couldn’t — pay.

Brant called 911. Police found Summers as he was walking across the restaurant parking lot. He told officers that he had an alcohol and drug addiction, according to the complaint.