Police in Massachusetts turned a bearded dragon lizard over to animal control officers after Amy Rebello-McCarthy, a woman suspected of drunk driving, revealed she had the animal stuffed in her bra.
Taunton, Massachusettes police said in a Facebook post that Rebello-McCarthy, 39, had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit Tuesday when she drove off the road, smashing into several mailboxes. Her car hit six mailboxes before it left the roadway and went onto a lawn — flattening all four tires and ripping off both bumpers — on Tuesday, May 16.
During an interview with police, officers said Rebello-McCarthy was drunk and admitted to drinking three drinks while also taking the methadone and gabapentin pills that she had been prescribed.
https://www.facebook.com/tauntonpolice/posts/1685413841487723
Via NECN:
When police arrived and approached Rebello-McCarthy, they said she began laughing. She was also slurring her words and at times drooling. Before she was transported to the police station, she told police that she had a bearded dragon in her bra.
“You have to keep the lizard warm, they’re cold blooded. That’s why she carried it in her bra,” Cindy Berglund, another witness to the crash, said.
A man who was with her — who police said was also slurring his words — was found with what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon tucked in his waistband. The man was taken into protective custody. The gun turned out to be an airsoft gun, not a real firearm.
Rebello-McCarthy was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, driving to endanger, and a marked lane violation. The bearded dragon was given to a Taunton animal control officer.
According to records, this is not the first time Rebello-McCarthy has had a run-in with the law, as Lt. Paul Roderick said she has a long criminal record dating back to the 1990s. Rebello-McCarthy has been previously arrested for credit card fraud, larcenies, and burglaries.
She has been arraigned 109 times in her adult life.
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