MESA, Ariz. — A man with numerous felony warrants was arrested in Mesa over the weekend after police said they found him passed out in a car with drugs and a Gila monster.
Brandon Denney, 37, was arrested Sunday night after officers found him unconscious behind the wheel of a running car parked near Southern Avenue and Signal Butte Road.
Denney had a prescription pill bottle in his hand and his eyes were red and dilated when officers woke him up, according to the Mesa Police Department.
A Gila monster then emerged from a box inside the car while officers conducted a sobriety test. Denney claimed he ran over the animal and decided to pick it up to see if it was hurt.
Officers took the Gila monster and said they also reportedly found cocaine, meth, a fentanyl pill and drug paraphernalia in the car.
After Denney’s arrest, investigators discovered he was wanted in California and Nevada for crimes ranging from kidnapping to attempted grand larceny of a motor vehicle.
His total bonds amount to $1.4 million.
The Gila monster was not actually injured, despite Denney’s claim, and the animal was turned over to Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Denney was arrested for DUI and may face additional charges because it’s illegal to own or sell a Gila monster in Arizona without a permit.
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