Crime is never funny, but it is sometimes peculiar. Here is a collection of some of the odd crimes that occurred in Limestone County during 2019.

The infamous ‘meth squirrel’

The case against Limestone County’s Mickey Paulk made national headlines after he eluded capture for more than a week following a June 17 search of what Limestone County Sheriff’s Office investigators believed was his apartment.

The search uncovered methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, ammunition, body armor and a pet squirrel. Investigators were told before the search Paulk had trained the squirrel — named DeezNutz — as an attack animal and possibly fed it meth to keep it aggressive. The squirrel turned out to be of the garden variety, and investigators released it outdoors.

Less than a day later, Paulk and the squirrel were nationwide celebrities. Memes, GIFs and even a Twitter account (@attacksquirrel2) dedicated to the squirrel appeared online. Paulk posted a video of himself and the squirrel to Facebook. In it, he said he retrieved the squirrel shortly after its release and denied ever feeding the squirrel meth.

Paulk continued to avoid capture by law enforcement until June 27, when investigators caught him leaving a hotel in Killen on a motorcycle that had been reported stolen from Huntsville. Paulk led law enforcement officers on a brief chase before crashing the motorcycle into an unmarked LCSO vehicle.

He is charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, forbidden possession of a firearm and possession of prohibited wildlife — the squirrel. A charge of receiving stolen property was dismissed.

PlayStation situation

Two adults and two juveniles were charged with robbery in January 2019 after they attempted to steal a man’s PlayStation 4 game system, dragged him down the road with their car when he wouldn’t let go of it and crashed, records show.

Eighteen-year-old Colby Jaquerius Chandler of Athens, 18-year-old Torey Deshaun Smith of Madison, 16-year-old Brailyn Rashaad Hines of Madison (a juvenile charged as an adult), and a 15-year-old juvenile were charged with first-degree robbery.

About 8:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, Limestone County sheriff’s deputies and state troopers responded to a car wreck at Slate and New Garden roads in Limestone County. They arrived to find two men and two juveniles inside the car and one man outside the car on the ground. Investigators determined the wreck occurred after a failed robbery.

The victim had listed the PlayStation 4 for sale on social media. One of the suspects agreed to buy it for $100 and told the seller where to meet him. When the suspects arrived, the victim handed the PlayStation to one of the car’s occupants, and the suspect yelled for the driver to “go, go, go.”

When the driver tried to leave before the victim was paid, the victim jumped through the open car window to retrieve the PlayStation. One or more of the suspects began striking the victim in the head, and the driver sped away with the victim hanging from the window. The driver swerved to try to sling the victim from the car, but he failed, lost control of the car and crashed. The victim, who was ejected, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Athens-Limestone Hospital.

Pros 1, suspects 0

Limestone County sheriff’s deputies were in hot pursuit of a Madison man and a Tennessee woman Feb. 18, 2019, when the two suspects pushed a recliner from their truck bed to interfere with the chase. An unidentified driver tried to run a deputy off the road during the chase by swerving and braking in front of him.

The high-speed chase, which reached speeds of 90 mph, spanned two counties and resulted in two wrecks. Mark Dylan Stacey, 25, of Madison, was charged with drug trafficking, two counts of second-degree assault on a police officer, second-degree assault, attempting to elude, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with evidence and criminal littering. His cohort, Camryn Cagle, 24, of Fayetteville, Tennessee, was charged with drug trafficking, attempting to elude, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a concealed weapon without a permit.

The pursuit began at Budget Inn in Ardmore when deputies spotted the suspects’ gold Ford Ranger with a switched tag and tried to stop it as it left the motel parking lot, sans tail lights. The pursuit followed Boyd’s Chapel Road, Sweet Springs Road, Pinedale Road, Alabama 53, Wall Triana Highway, Harvest Road, Alabama 251, Van Dyke Road, Black Road and Elkton Road before ending with a crash at the intersection of Elkton Road and Elm Street. Stacey ran a red light at the intersection and was struck by a motorist who had the right of way.

After capturing the two suspects, deputies searched their truck and found a large amount of methamphetamine, a scale and hypodermic needles. Cagle was found with a handgun in her bag and no concealed carry permit.

Corniest bust of all

A search warrant in March 2019 turned up a “craftily hidden” assortment, according to LCSO Spokesman Stephen Young.

Deputies filmed their use of armored vehicles during the raid of a Tanner home surrounded by a high privacy fence with locked gates and security cameras. They seized crack cocaine, methamphetamine, pills, about $14,000 in cash and two pistols during the predawn search.

The search took an interesting turn when deputies discovered about 2 ounces of cocaine inside a fake can of corn and the methamphetamine and pills inside a fake water bottle, Young said.

Paul Ray Hines was arrested and charged with trafficking cocaine, distribution of meth, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Violent accused of violence

The victim in a 2018 attempted murder case was arrested in April 2019 because authorities said she helped her accused assailant attack another woman with croquet mallets.

Young said Lakashia Anneese Fox, 28, of Madison, was charged with second-degree assault in connection with the March 17, 2019, attack.

According to court records, Fox was the victim in a July 2018 shooting. In that case, Mauricia Adaryll Corbett, 37, was charged with attempted murder and domestic violence aggravated assault in connection with the shooting. Fox, who was Corbett’s live-in girlfriend at the time, was shot in the face and torso with a 12-gauge shotgun filled with birdshot. After the shooting, Fox ran to a Mapco at the intersection of U.S. 72 and Old Railroad Bed Road to seek help. Corbett was indicted by a Limestone County grand jury in October.

The victim in the March 17 attack suffered numerous facial fractures and lacerations, which required stitches and staples, Young said. The woman told investigators she had been assaulted by Corbett and two other suspects, who attacked her with wooden croquet mallets.

Corbett was arrested March 26 on a charge of second-degree assault.

Murder over property

An Ardmore man was arrested in August after a Limestone County grand jury indicted him on a murder charge related to an Elkmont shooting in March.

Kenneth Wayne Adams, 60, of Hobbs Loop, is charged with one count of murder related to the March 28, 2019, fatal shooting of 60-year-old William Brantley. The shooting occurred around 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of Rooker Lane and Oak Grove Road.

Young told The News Courier that Adams had been identified as the shooter and both men were armed at the time of the altercation. He said investigators believed the shooting was part of ongoing property dispute that went on for years.

Records show deputies were dispatched to an address near the shooting for a criminal mischief complaint about an hour before the shooting occurred.

Gutsy claim in small claims

A Tanner man found himself behind bars after he forged a Limestone County judge’s name on a phony court order in June 2019.

Young said Micah Dewayne “Donald” Garren-Bancroft forged the name of District Judge Matthew Huggins on a order demanding a victim to release tools and other items to him as part of a case in small claims court.

On May 5, 2019, the sheriff’s office took a report of a forged court order, which contained Huggins’ electronic signature and was served on the victim by the suspect.

“Investigators found that Garren-Bancroft had a current case in small claims court against the victim in which Garren-Bancroft had received a default judgement in his favor to receive funds from the case,” Young said at the time. “The forged court order was a ‘Notice of Seizure’ and ordered the victim to release assets to the suspect, including ‘tools, equipment, furniture, and other assets.’”

After the victim provided the order to his attorney, Young said the attorney’s office discovered the forged court order and advised the victim to file the report with the sheriff’s office. Investigators found probable cause to obtain a warrant for Garren-Bancroft for third-degree possession of a forged instrument.