Alabama drug addict who fed 'attack squirrel' meth to make it aggressive evades capture, animal set free
Alabama investigators are on the lookout for a man who allegedly kept an "attack squirrel" inside his apartment and then proceeded to feed the caged up animal methamphetamine in order to make sure that it would remain aggressive.
35-year-old Mickey Paulk's apartment in Athens was being searched by the authorities on June 17 morning when the caged creature was discovered. The animal then released into the wild, Limestone County Sheriff’s Office’s Public Information Officer Stephen Young told PEOPLE.
Young revealed that officers were responding to a report on Monday at around 8.30 am that Paulk was allegedly keeping an "attack squirrel" inside his home and was also feeding it meth.
It is still unclear why or how Paulk managed to keep the wild animal inside his apartment.
After obtaining a search warrant, animal control and narcotics officers searched the home which was located in the 21000 Block of Piney Chapel Road.
The authorities managed to seize a number of illegal items including meth, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, and body armor.
According to Young, officers with the Alabama Game and Fish Division of the Department of Conservation were also contacted to advise on the situation.
During the time of the search, Ronnie Reynolds of Ardmore was found inside the apartment but Paulk was nowhere to be found.
37-year-old Reynolds was taken into custody and also charged with the possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
On Tuesday, the Limestone County Sheriff's Office took to Facebook to announce that the squirrel had been released into the wild based on the suggestion of the Alabama Game and Fish Division of the Department of Conservation.
Officials at the Sheriff's Office wrote, "The squirrel was released into a wooded area on the advice of Game and Fish wardens. It ran into the woods and did not attack the deputies who released it."
According to Young, there was no safe way to test squirrel for meth.
Anyone with information on Paulk's whereabouts is asked to call the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office at (256) 232-0111.