What mother wouldn't take pride in her son's dedication to taking care of problems? And sometimes, such dedication takes steely resolve. Other times, it takes a steady hand and a kitchen knife.

For nearly a decade, James A. Donalson of Harris County, Texas, has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with the doctor who implanted a pacemaker in his mother's chest and with her insurance company. When dear old mom died at age 85 - presumably of natural causes - 59-year-old Donalson wasn't about to see the evidence buried with her. So before the body could cool, James took a knife from momma's own kitchen drawer and did some on-the-spot alterations. Paramedics arrived to find the deceased with a fresh incision in her chest.

"I removed the pacemaker," Donalson told police. "They killed my mother." Perhaps, but they didn't butcher her.

The man was charged with evidence tampering and jailed in lieu of $5,000 (U.S.) bail.

» Scott Saxon