SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
This week, police in Hamilton, Ontario took on a slippery threat to public safety. According to the CBC, the police got a call Thursday morning from a concerned citizen who encountered a four-foot-long pool of something gooey on a downtown street. Turned out to probably be maple syrup. Apparently, they didn't test. The only way to truly test for maple syrup is to taste it and think of the carbohydrates. Witnesses pointed out a man they said had created the maple slick. The police apprehended a 56-year-old man, perhaps with sticky fingers. They discovered he was also carrying a small amount of marijuana, but no pancake mix. The Hamilton constabulary were not amused by the prospect of Maple malfeasance and charged the man with mischief, after they had to call in a city road crew to clean up the oozing pool of maple. Constable Steve Welton pointed out, quote, "he caused resources to have to be deployed to clean this stuff up." Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.