Man charged with illegally keeping 'attack squirrel he fed on meth'
Mickey Paulk insists he would never give it drugs to rodent, which he named Deeznutz
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man accused of feeding methamphetamine to what police called an “attack squirrel” has been charged with illegal possession of wildlife in Alabama.
Court records show Mickey Paulk has not denied having a pet squirrel, which is illegal under state law.
But he has denied police allegations he fed the drug, otherwise known as meth or crystal meth, to the squirrel - called “Deeznutz” - to make it more aggressive.
Police found the animal during a raid at Mr Paulk’s home in Athens, where they say they found meth, drug paraphernalia, body armour and ammunition.
Mr Paulk later said he has had the squirrel since it was a baby and would never give it drugs.
The rodent was set free by police after officials from the state’s Department of Conservation recommended releasing it back into the wild.
Stephen Young, a spokesman for the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, said there had been no safe way to test the squirrel for meth before its release.
Limestone County sheriff’s officers arrested Mr Paulk last week following a chase in which he allegedly rammed an investigator’s vehicle.
He faces illegal gun possession and other charges.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments