What the shell?
An Indiana man was arrested after he was seen dancing alongside a bustling roadway while allegedly carrying a state-protected turtle — and a baggie of meth.
The man, who wasn’t publicly identified, was holding a rare Eastern Box turtle cupped in his hands as he shuffled around aimlessly in Harrison County, Indiana.
He was confronted by officers with the Indiana Department of Environmental Conservation’s Law Enforcement Division out of particular concern for the turtle.
The officers seized the turtle — and meth — from the man, according to a department news release.
He was placed under arrest on drug charges, and the turtle was released into the wild.
The department shared a picture of the victimized turtle beginning its slow crawl back into a nearby forest.
A pack of Montego cigarettes, raggedy garments, and other miscellaneous items that presumably belonged to the suspect laid abandoned on the grass.
The Post reached out to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
Eastern Box turtles are legally protected in Indiana due to its declining population. Other states, like Maine, classify the species as endangered.
The turtles can live for up to a century, but face steep threats from natural predators, ranging from the common chipmunk to coyotes. Its eggs, too, are a favorite snack for a majority of omnivorous wildlife.
In rare circumstances, Eastern Box turtles that escape or are freed from captivity risk spreading disease to its bale.
“Displaced box turtles, either escaped or released, have a hard time surviving. Those that survive pose a threat to wild populations,” Indiana’s DNR warns on its website.
The department does encourage people to help save turtles they see in distress, but notes it is illegal to keep one as a pet.
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