File this under “things not to do.” A man in Texas was stopped after he
made a couple of U-Turns and almost hit someone. And when the Texas
Highway Patrol approached William Eric Johnson’s car, the officer
couldn’t believe what he saw. There was a 6-foot alligator in Johnson’s back car window.
Not
only was the alligator just hanging around in the back window, it
wasn’t restrained in any way. No ropes, no tethers, no tape around its
jaws. While the patrol officer later stated that the gator looked
pretty content, they didn’t take any chances and called a professional
to help remove the animal.
Johnson claimed that he saw the gator
on the side of the road and was just taking it to a friend’s pond. But
he was also caught with some items stolen from his employer’s son’s
home, so police probably weren’t sure what to believe.
The previous day, believe it or not, Johnson had been
reported as drunk in public. When police found him, they also found a 4
1/2-foot-long water moccasin snake in the car, which had already bitten
Johnson. (Fortunately, he warned the officers first.) He refused
treatment for the bite.
Seems like this guy was having a really bad couple of days. Maybe he
should have just stayed away from the dangerous animals with big teeth
and fangs. Oh yeah, and not carry them in his car, either! Remember,
carrying your pets is one thing. Carrying vicious animals is something
else entirely.
By Becky Scott
Contributing Editor
alligator
