LORETTO, Tennessee -- The Loretto Police Department is warning residents that drugs discarded down a toilet could create "meth-gators" after a man was found trying to flush evidence over the weekend.
Officers found Andy Perry attempting to flush methamphetamine along with several items of paraphernalia served a search warrant at 112 First Avenue in Loretto on July 13, according to a news release.
Perry was arrested for Possession of Schedule II (Meth) for Resale, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Tampering with Evidence. Twelve grams of Methamphetamine, 24 fluid ounces of liquid meth, and several items of paraphernalia were seized and Perry is being held at the Lawrence County Jail.
While Perry was unsuccessful in flushing the drugs, police officials warned in a Facebook post that flushing harmful drugs could damage the water supply, hurt wildlife and even create "meth-gators."
Below is the full message from the department:
Folks…please don’t flush your drugs m’kay. When you send something down the sewer pipe it ends up in our retention ponds for processing before it is sent down stream. Now our sewer guys take great pride in releasing water that is cleaner than what is in the creek, but they are not really prepared for meth. Ducks, Geese, and other fowl frequent our treatment ponds and we shudder to think what one all hyped up on meth would do. Furthermore, if it made it far enough we could create meth-gators in Shoal Creek and the Tennessee River down in North Alabama. They’ve had enough methed up animals the past few weeks without our help. So, if you need to dispose of your drugs just give us a call and we will make sure they are disposed of in the proper way.
Also, if you have any info on drug use and abuse in our community contact us on here or at city hall and we will see what we can do!
Edit/addition: We feel the need to mention that “drugs” also includes prescription pills. These medications can be disposed of at City Hall in a designated disposal container in the lobby.
