This week's round-up of odd police news includes a mysterious creature, a coffee theft and a man who was beaten over a $5 scratch ticket.

Even for $500, this assault wouldn't have been worth it.

I encourage you to read this full story to follow the complicated series of events that led to a Framingham man being beaten over a $5 winning scratch ticket. In short: a man excitedly shares with some folks in the neighborhood the good news that he has won $500 from a scratch ticket. Man goes to redeem scratch ticket; man learns he won not $500, but $5. Man returns home, is attacked by the people he told he had won; they were looking to take his money. 

Ashland drivers bring silliness to Hopkinton.

Hopkinton police received a call from neighboring Ashland about some silly suspects. A dispatcher reported a vehicle had just sprayed another vehicle with silly string, and was heading toward Hopkinton. Police caught up with the vehicle and spoke with the occupants.

Coffee addiction: it can land you in jail.

You probably know that coffee can stain your teeth, and that in large doses, it isn't great for your health, but did you know another side effect of coffee dependency is incarceration? A Worcester woman was sentenced to six months in the House of Correction this week, in connection with an arrest at the CVS in Shrewsbury. The woman reportedly put pounds of coffee into a large purse. She also had six pounds of Starbucks in coffee that she told police she "may have stolen" from a grocery store. Police said she refused to leave her vehicle when asked, and had to be forcefully removed.

Police get this all the time...

Turkey-watching. I've heard it's one of the top reasons suspicious drivers give when confronted by police for their strange behavior or loitering. Milford police got a call from a resident this week who said there was a pickup truck driving up and down the road. When asked, the truck's occupants, a young couple, told police they were "looking for turkeys."

What type of creature was it?!

We could give you more information about the type of "critter" that prompted one Westborough resident to call police, but then, we wouldn't get to imagine what, specifically, the critter was. Police were heard over the scanner reporting that Animal Control had the "creature" removed. What would you like the creature to be? A gremlin? Weasel? Tell us in the comments.