Cops Bust Dad Who Married Off Girl, 14, for Beer

Something got lost in translation when a California man arranged for his 14-year-old daughter to marry an 18-year-old neighbor in exchange for cash, beer, and meat, reports the San Jose Mercury News. When the bridegroom failed to pay the promised $16,000, 160 cases of beer, and six cases of meat, dad called the cops—landing both men felony charges involving corruption of a minor.

The local police chief said such arranged marriages are common in the part of rural Mexico the family hails from. "It's kind of a clash of two different cultures, but I have to uphold the local law," he said. "Everything they were doing would be legal in Mexico. When I'm in Mexico I respect Mexican laws. But you respect the law here when you are here. This involved a juvenile." (More Mexican-Americans stories.)