PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- A pet iguana named “Copper” will need surgery after her owner threw her at a Perkins Restaurant Tuesday morning and fractured her leg, police say.
Arnold Teeter is charged with cruelty to animals, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in the Tuesday morning incident.
Copper the iguana is seen with his owner at a Perkins Restaurant in Painesville
Teeter is being held in the Lake County Jail on a $10,000 bond, Painesville Lt. Toby Burgett said. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing at 8 a.m. April 22 in Painesville Municipal Court.
Officers were called shortly before 11:30 a.m. to the restaurant on Mentor Avenue near Nelson Street for a disorderly patron, police said.
The manager said Teeter walked into the restaurant and laid in a booth before throwing a menu at a waitress, Painesville police said in a statement.
The manager tried to talk to Teeter who pulled the reptile from beneath his shirt. He swung Copper around and threw her at the manager, police said.
Copper fell on the tile floor and slid across the floor, police said. Teeter picked up Copper by the tail and walked out of the restaurant.
Officers found Teeter 30 minutes later, less than a mile away, walking through traffic near the Mentor Avenue YMCA, police said. Several cars swerved to avoid hitting him.
Authorities handcuffed Teeter after he struggled with officers.
Police took Copper to the Lake County Humane Society. Caretakers noted that she is missing part of her tail.
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