You’ve heard of the “Kings of Tupelo,” well now law enforcement in south Mississippi wants to introduce the public to a man they sarcastically labeled the “Picayune King.” Ryan Howard, the man at the center of police’s attention, is accused of having eight alligators in his backyard pool as well as a bevy of illegal drugs and firearms.
According to a report, the Picayune Police Department’s special operations division began receiving information that Howard was involved in illegal affairs. Local law enforcement was contacted by colleagues in the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Department of Howard’s recent arrest in their jurisdiction.
This allowed authorities in Pearl River County to execute a search warrant at the subject’s home. What was found may end up turning Howard into the next main character of a Netflix documentary. Police located 51 pounds of marijuana, packaging material for bulk sales, anabolic steroids, six ounces of mushrooms, 13 vials of marijuana seeds for further production 14 firearms, and last, but certainly not least — eight alligators.
The alligators were found in the backyard pool of Howard’s Glenwood St. residence. Maybe this Mississippi man is giving the infamous “Florida man” a run after all.
“Maybe he wanted to be the Gator King too…. ba dum tsk! Let’s also not forget to mention that during the course of dealing with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, he along with his minor child were found transporting 80 lbs of Marijuana which was most likely destined for our city,” a portion of a social media post from the Picayune Police Department reads.
Howard is currently charged with trafficking a controlled substance, but police assure more charges will be levied against the subject and other unidentified parties. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks will take the alligators into their custody.
“To those who haven’t gotten the memo about dealing drugs in Picayune, we are going to repeat it,” the Picayune Police Department further stated. “We will work with anyone to put you in jail and make our city safer! We will not rest to make sure our city and even the alligators are safe!”
