LEAD, S.D. (AP) – A 4-year-old girl who slept in a car while her mother ran an errand was taken for a ride when a repo man who didn’t notice the child in the back seat claimed the vehicle, police said.

The mother thought the car was stolen and quickly called 911, said Police Chief John Wainman. Officers investigating the case learned that the car had been repossessed. Police contacted the repo company, and the girl was returned to her mother.

Wainman said the seizure on Wednesday was legal, but repossession companies are supposed to notify police before taking a vehicle to avoid unnecessary phone calls and investigation. He said the repossession company employee did not check the vehicle thoroughly before taking it away.

Similar incidents have been reported before, most recently in Pennsylvania. In September, a mother reported that her car had been stolen from in front of her home and that her son was inside the vehicle. Authorities said the woman had strapped the child into his booster seat, then went back inside her home to make a phone call.

Police later tracked the car to the dealership, where an employee walked outside and found the child crying in the back seat of the vehicle.

Matilda gives bride a bumpy ride

NORCO, Calif. (AP) – To get her to the church on time, the bride chose a beast of burden.

Riding atop a camel named Matilda, bride Sherel Crockett bounced along a horse trail to a church to recite wedding vows with George Stone.

The animal lovers met four years ago and including Matilda in the ceremony was “my dream come true,” the bride said.

The couple met while working as part of a pet-assisted therapy program and both are currently therapists who work with severely emotionally disturbed children.

Using a dromedary as wedding transportation – especially Matilda – caught the eye of passers-by.

“Everybody was smiling and waving. Matilda’s a real celebrity here in town,” said Stone, who often takes Matilda for appearances at elementary schools.

The new Mrs. Stone is moving her cadre of animals onto Stone’s property when they combine homes, said Stone, noting they have a lot in common.

“We both have Icelandic ponies,” Stone said. “So we even have the same breed of horse in common.”

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – A university that has been searching for more effective ways to disseminate student information is now posting the material in an intimate place.

Palm Beach Atlantic University’s blue newsletters now hang above urinals and on stall doors in most campus restrooms. The bulletins are called Stall Talk.

Administrators at the Christian-based school said e-mails, posters and campus bulletin boards were just too easy to ignore.

Among the headlines in this month’s issue: “Getting Along with your Roommate,” “Top 5 Places to Eat Off-campus” and “Top 10 Reasons to Consider Joining Campus Recreation Activities.”

Sheena Cunningham, 21, a senior, loves the idea. She said students don’t always have time to read the campus newspaper. But they never miss Stall Talk.

“Everyone goes to the bathroom,” she told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “It’s right there. You have no other choice but to read it.”

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