Last year a meth-gator killed several people in Louisiana after drug dealers began dumping amphetamines into a nearby swamp. History, it would seem, has repeated itself–this time in rural Arkansas.
Police discovered the bodies of Billy Jones and Terry Watkins late yesterday afternoon deep in the bayou of Delta County. Sources say the men suffered bite wounds consistent with an alligator attack. Authorities subsequently found amphetamine manufacturers in a nearby RV raising so called meth-gators.
Sheriff Bobby Lawrence said the discovery was part of a wider investigation:
“This has been a hell of a problem in Delta County for about five years. But what we have discovered today is that these scumbags started feeding alligators amphetamines. These lizards are so hyped up that they will attack anyone that moves.”
Lawrence believes these criminals learned about meth-gators from stories last year and attempted to create their own as a means to intimidate others and protect their operations.
“Alligators using meth ain’t that different from people using it. They’re mad, they’re addicted, and they’re fast. We found one in the RV we raided, but there are others,” said Lawrence.
The circumstances surrounding Jones’ and Watkins’ deaths remain under investigation. Lawrence says the men could have been killed accidentally, but he suspects foul play.
“I can’t prove it, but I believe someone sicked a meth-gator on these two men just to watch the carnage. And there’s only one man I know crazy enough to do it,” said the sheriff.
Meet Meth Mouth
That man is a local outlaw known as Meth Mouth. Lawrence said police nearly caught the notorious criminal during their raid but he escaped after a shootout, which injured two officers.
“He’s like Charles Manson on meth, if you can imagine that. This man is psychotic and has ruined countless lives.”
Meth Mouth, whose identity remains unknown, is responsible for most of the amphetamine production in Delta County and has consolidated his operations into an organized outfit. Police believe he is involved in at least ten murders and numerous thefts.
One local even said the criminal has become something of an urban legend:
“They say he is crazy and will kill anyone. That he rides boats all through the bayou, in the swamps, streams and creeks. He has hideouts and abandoned trailers all through the area, so no one can catch him. When my kids act up, I tell them to get in line or meth mouth will kill them.”
Richard Terryington, local farmer
From Bad to Worse
Sources say Meth Mouth had a pod of alligators transported from Louisiana after he learned that feeding the creatures amphetamines could turn them into lethal killers.
One deputy was severely injured when the alligator they found began running around the marshy area at high speed. Then, foaming at the mouth, it leapt upward and attacked the officer before he could fire his pistol.
“Jason is going to lose a hand out of this, and it breaks my heart,” said Lawrence. “That kid just joined our department last year, and I grew up with his daddy. Right now our efforts are 100% focused on finding and apprehending Meth Mouth.”
A third suspect, Darrel Griggs, who also has arrest warrants in Alabama, escaped with the outlaw and at least one other meth-gator on a speedboat.
“Once they got loose in the bayou we knew we would never find them. This is their backyard,” said Lawrence. “Meth Mouth is as unhinged as they come, and now we know he’s the one raising these gators.”
Lawrence has warned locals to be cautious outside of city limits and to call police if they spot an alligator. Meanwhile, this crime-ridden county just grew even more dangerous.
