Alabama man George Owens has been arrested after crashing his car into a pole in a parking lot, walking into a Bass Pro Shop fishing tackle, hunting gear and boating superstore, stripping naked, and diving into the shop’s aquarium yelling, “cannonball!”.
Owens, after removing himself from the water, fell onto the concrete floor, knocking himself unconscious, where he was met by two police officers who promptly arrested him on eight charges, including public lewdness and criminal mischief.
Swim With The Fishes: OMG! That ‘s not something you see everyday. An Alabama man, George Owens, has been arrested after taking a dive into the fish aquarium at a Bass Pro Shop in Leeds, Alabama! His swim ended when he tried climbing over the side and knocked himself out. pic.twitter.com/Jysng4mlM7
— John Cremeans USA (@JohnCremeansUSA) January 7, 2024
The internet has lit up with memes following the weekend incident, with one woman, Blair Erskine, assuming the role of the Owens’s wife, explaining that if the store didn’t want patrons swimming in the aquarium, they should’ve put a lid on it.
bass pro shop guy’s wife speaks out pic.twitter.com/u1QKn5WUTn
Owens was transported to a hospital for a mental wellbeing check and a mental health evaluation and was admitted to a specialised facility in St Clair County, before being released on bail.
There are many strange and wonderful stories that emanate from the United States, in particular those that start with the infamous “Florida man” headline.
One such story from recent weeks details a Florida man who was arrested for allegedly hitting his wife with a Christmas tree after she asked him to help make dinner. His wife happened to put a spoon in the sink, splashing him, causing him to “lose his temper”. He then threw the Christmas tree at her from across the room.
Another Florida man attending the Cape Coral Festival on Christmas day yelled to nearby families: “All the parents are lying to their children. Don’t lie to them. Santa Clause is not real.”
Parents who called the police to respond were disappointed to discover no law was technically broken, and therefore the man was not arrested.
In another incident involving a Florida man, Baruch Roche was charged with attempting to enter a military base dressed as Captain America. Roche refused to present any form of identification and demanded entry, claiming that he had a meeting with a general to provide “top secret information”.
He was then searched and found with weapons and ammunition on his person, leading to his arrest.
IOL