The O-town Scene

R.o.B.S. CLEVELAND — An Ohio drunken-driving suspect is blaming his arrest on Ozzy Os- bourne. William Liston was ar- rested Christmas Eve in suburban Cleveland. WJW-TV said he told police officers, “Ozzy Osbourne and his music made me do it.” Osbourne's hits as lead singer of heavy metal band Black Sab- bath and as a solo artist include “Paranoid” and “Road to Nowhere.” Liston is awaiting ar- raignment. He’s to appear in court Tuesday on a charge of operating a vehicle while im- paired. In an unrelated case, Liston pleaded not guilty Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in a November break-in at a medical office. He was released on bond. Telephone calls to the 33-year-old Liston’s home in Aurora have gone unanswered. Associated Press It’s hard to tell what’s true these days. Take a gander below, and guess if A. and B. are Real or B.S. (Answers at the bottom of the page.) Ozzy Osbourne made A. me do it, man says B. Merchant tries to make most of bad situation SARNIA, ONTARIO, Canada — Move over, Christmas spirit; hello, capitalism. Just days after Christmas, stranded travel- ers on Highway 402, near Sarnia, found themselves not the recipient of kindness and charity, but rather the potential customers of a savvy entrepreneur, who charged them $6 for bottled water, $12 for sandwiches and $20 for hand warmers while they waited for plows to clear the road. “It was disgusting,” John McDonough of Hamilton said of the experience. “Just totally the worst example of human greed.” McDonough was one of about 300 motorists who spent several hours stuck on a stretch of highway during a particularly fierce Dec. 27 blizzard. Many, like Mc- Donough, were traveling to or from their homes after the Christmas holiday. But Ronnie Santos was trying to get to work. The 52-year-old Buffalo native travels 402 once a week, stopping at convenience stores and small groceries to supply them with snacks, beverages and other items. Realizing that he would be unable to make all his deliveries, Santos decided to cut out the middleman and take his goods straight to the customers. He started knocking on car windows and offering food, water and other items, such as instant hand warmers, to the stranded travelers. The only catch? Santos wanted top dollar for his goods. “I’m a businessman,” Santos said by phone Wednesday from his home in Buffalo. “I got to make a living. I’m not forcing anyone to buy anything from me. But I figured, these people might be hungry, they might want something. And I got what they want.” But McDonough, and several other motor- ists, did not see it that way. “You have this guy completely exploiting people, charging them an arm and a leg for a bottle of water,” McDonough said. Gretchen Downing of Port Huron, who was stuck just miles from her home waiting for the roads to be cleared, filed a com- plaint with the Better Business Bureau about Santos. “I am confident that what Mr. Santos was doing constitutes price-gouging,” Downing wrote in her complaint, which she forward- ed to the media. A spokeswoman for the BBB declined to comment on the complaint. Santos says he has done nothing wrong. “It’s supply and demand,” Santos said. “You don’t like it, move to Cuba.” Like us, digitally. Go to www.otownscene.com Associated Press 24 O-Town Scene Jan. 6, 2011 A. is real; B. is B.S. by Emily Popek. Aren’t you glad R.o.B.S. is back?

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