MAN FOUND WHO FAKED HIS OWN DEATH 20 YEARS AGO

In 1989, Bernie Wint went out into the breakers off of Daytona Beach, Fla. His then-fiancee reported seeing him disappear into the waves, setting off a police search. "We spent a bunch of time looking for him," said a police captain. "We used helicopters, boats and boatloads of lifeguards." Eventually, it was assumed that Wint had drowned.Recently, a routine traffic stop brought Wint back from the grave. The cop who stopped Wint in Weaverville, N.C., discovered his identity after he was unable to find any information about the man's alias, James Sweet.


Wint told police that he faked his death two decades ago because he was paranoid about getting busted for drug activities. When Wint "died," he left behind his fiancee and a daughter from a previous marriage. He now has a common-law wife and another child, and makes his living selling NASCAR memorabilia.

Only time will tell if Wint experiences a customer backlash that will force him to hang up his Jeff Gordon beer coozies and start slinging dime bags again.