LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – Court records show a Limestone County man accused of allegedly possessing an “attack squirrel” was in court Monday.
Mickey Paulk is charged with possession of a wild animal, to which he pleaded not guilty during his 2019 arraignment. Now, online documents show he was arrested just before Christmas and faces a number of drug-related charges, including endangerment. a child’s chemist
Court documents show that Paulk was to have a bench trial on Monday, but his case continued because his attorney was not in court that day.
As of June 2019, law enforcement in northern Alabama and southern Tennessee had been searching for Paulk for more than a week. The search became national news after a search warrant was issued at Paulk’s apartment. That’s where the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office says they found the squirrel.
Authorities say they had received tips that the squirrel had been fed methamphetamine to keep it aggressive. Paulk disputed those claims in a video on Facebook, but that video led to more charges being issued by the Department of Conservation’s Alabama Fish and Game Division, as it is illegal to possess, sell or import wild animals in the state of Alabama.
A tip eventually led detectives to a Killen motel where Paulk was allegedly staying at the time, where he fled the area on a motorcycle in an attempt to elude police.
Just a quarter mile later, however, Limestone County deputies say Paulk rammed a detective’s car and was knocked down. Authorities said they found a .45-caliber pistol in his waistband when they searched him, but did not find the squirrel he had claimed to have met recently.
Paulk was arrested in Limestone County on December 23, 2021 and charged with Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Chemical Endangerment of a Child, Receiving Stolen Property, Certain Persons in Possession of a Handgun, and Possession of a a controlled substance.
His bonuses total $70,500.
Arraignment date for all of the above charges is set for February 3 at 9 a.m. The bench trial on the charge of unlawful possession of a wild animal is set for February 28 at 1:30 p.m.