Knee Deep- Strange Florida Highlights No. 2

On our Steam community page for Knee Deep, we post weekly round-ups of unusual news from the Sunshine State – the sorts of things that helped inspire the bizarre swamp noir of Knee Deep.

Now, once a month, we go through those stories and pick out a few that really stand out and exemplify weird Florida.

Being Dick Durbin Sidney Hines, 67, of New Port Richey pleaded guilty to charges that he impersonated Illinois senator Dick Durbin to avoid paying debts.

Questions best left unanswered 23-year-old Joaquin Mendez of Tampa wondered if the flak jacket he found still worked. So, apparently, he asked a cousin to shoot at him. The bullet penetrated the vest and killed Mendez.

Bad Slim Pickens impression Police arrested James Roy Massengale Jr., 47, after he got a little too grabby with a few manatees. At one point, witnesses said, Massengale proclaimed: “I’m riding it!”

Should’ve taken the blue pill

Terance Fairman of Largo told police he thought he was in a video game when he tried to push a motorcyclist off his bike. He ran away after hitting the biker in the head at a red light. Alcohol may have been involved, he acknowledged later.