Inside Amy Slaton's zoo scandal — the 'suspicious odor' that led to '1000-lb Sisters' star's arrest
Amy Slaton from 1000-lb Sisters made headlines recently when a zoo visit with a mystery male and her sons Gage and Glenn went horribly wrong. What had started as a fun outing, ended with her being taken into custody on September 2024. During a trip to a popular safari park, zoo staff and other visitors reportedly noticed a 'suspicious odor' coming from Amy's car. According to E! Online, the smell raised a red flag and allegedly led zoo employees to investigate further. When authorities were called in, they reportedly found substances believed to be illegal psychedelic mushrooms in Amy's possession.
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As the news broke, fans expressed outrage over why she would have such items on her during what seemed to be a family outing. The TLC star later addressed the incident publicly when reporters hounded her for a comment. “Thank you, and I’m sorry for everything,” she said, according to WBBJ.
According to court documents obtained by E! News, the 36-year-old was arrested on charges of illegal possession of Schedule I and Schedule VI and two counts of child endangerment. Amy accepted a plea deal on December 19 in Crockett County, Tennessee. Under her plea agreement, charges of child endangerment were dismissed. Her new charges were that of 'simple possession'. According to Us Weekly, she received a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days to time served and hence wouldn't face any jail time. However, Amy will have to pay a fine and meet several conditions, including drug and alcohol assessments and parenting classes.
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Going forward she cannot return to the Tennessee Safari Park. Additionally, if she fails to comply with the terms of supervised probation, her sentence will be revoked. Amy's mystery man, Brian Scott Lovvorn, received a similar fate. After the arrest, Amy's children were taken by a family member. According to a report by PEOPLE, Amy's sister and 1000-lb Sisters co-star Tammy Slaton was seen picking up the kids, though it was not specified whether this happened at the zoo or later at the sheriff's office.
As per The Sun, Amy may have started using drugs after her weight loss surgery. Psychotherapist Sherie L. Seff. opined that it's not uncommon for people who have undergone extreme weight loss to develop new addictions, often as a way to cope with changes. "There is food addiction, substance addiction, and alcohol addiction, and it is not uncommon for people to sub out alcohol for food," Seff explained. Although Amy's motivations for the weight loss were because she became a mother and wanted to feel healthier, Seff argued that the pressures of motherhood may have caused emotional 'wear and tear.' "Amy needs some redirection of her choices," Seff added.
Crockett County District Attorney General Frederick Agee released a statement, as per WREG. It read "This is the Season of Giving and we understand that Amy Halterman and Brian Lovvorn are the pride and joy of the State of Kentucky and they will now be back in Kentucky for the Holidays."