Iguana Thrown At Restaurant Manager Found Suffering From Fracture

PAINESVILLE, OH — An Ohio man is facing multiple charges, including cruelty to animals, after police say he swung an iguana by its tail and threw it at a restaurant manager.

Police in Painesville, Ohio, said the man, identified as Arnold J. Teeter, 49, entered Perkins Restaurant on Tuesday, laid down in a booth and threw a menu at a waitress, "becoming increasingly loud."

When the restaurant manager tried to speak with Teeter, he pulled the iguana out from under his sweatshirt and swung the animal over his head, police say. Teeter then threw the iguana at the store manager but missed him, according to police. The iguana landed on the tiled floor and slid across the floor at some length.

Police said Teeter then picked up the iguana by its tail and walked out of the restaurant.

Cops were unable to find Teeter but about 30 minutes later, they were called to the local YMCA for a disorderly male.

Police recognized Teeter from the restaurant video and say he was walking through traffic. He continued to jump through traffic and struggled with law enforcement before being arrested, according to police.

The two-foot-long iguana was found under Teeter's sweatshirt, police say. The iguana was taken to the Lake County Humane Society and then taken for a medical check to the Animal Center of Euclid.

Hospital staff found that the iguana suffered from a broken leg, which will require surgery, as well as metabolic bone disease and poor body condition. The iguana was also missing part of its tail.

Teeter was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and cruelty to animals.