Man admits throwing iguana

49-year-old gets community control for incident at Perkins restaurant in Painesville

The man who admitted to throwing an iguana at the manager of the Painesville Perkins will not face any additional jail time as long as he follows his community control orders.

Arnold Teeter, 49, pleaded guilty Aug. 8 in Painesville Municipal Court to misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and cruelty to animals stemming from the April 16 incident.

Judge Michael Cicconetti sentenced Teeter to two years of active community control sanctions with up to another three years possible.

The judge also suspended 77 days of a 90-day jail sentence, giving Teeter 13 days credit for time already served.

Teeter was arrested April 16 following a disorderly patron call at the 700 Mentor Ave. Perkins. The manager told police that Teeter was throwing menus at the staff and becoming increasingly louder. When the manager attempted to speak with him, Teeter pulled a 2-foot-long iguana from under his sweatshirt and proceeded to swing it above his head.

Teeter then allegedly threw the lizard at the manager, but missed, sending it skidding across the tile floor “at some length.” He then picked it up by the tail and left.

Police searched the area but were unable to find Teeter until a complaint call regarding a “disorderly male” was made a short time later from the Central YMCA, also along Mentor Avenue.

Police recognized Teeter from Perkins surveillance footage. When they arrived on scene, he was walking through oncoming Mentor Avenue traffic with motorists forced to actively swerve to avoid him. Teeter continued to jump in and out of traffic while attempting to evade arrest. After apprehending Teeter, police confiscated the iguana, still hidden under his sweatshirt.

Teeter was found competent to stand trial in June. His Aug. 8 plea came one day before the case was set to go to trial.

The iguana rejoined her rightful family in July. It had gotten away from Jordan Piert’s family while they were moving to Virginia. Piert read a story about the incident on Facebook and contacted the Lake Humane Society, which used photos and other records to verify her claim.

Teeter’s community control sanctions include an order not to possess or reside in a home with animals for five years and he is subject to random inspections. That includes him attempting to move into a home with a person who owns an animal.

“It’s not going to be dog gone, it’s going to be Arnold gone,” Cicconetti said. The Lake Humane Society is seeking a little more than $250 in restitution, but a separate restitution hearing is being scheduled.

Cicconetti said Teeter’s case could be reviewed after a year and the following year of active community control could be suspended. Cicconetti will not be the judge reviewing that case, however, as he is set to retire Sept. 20.

Assistant Lake County Public Defender Ashlyn Carroll said Teeter “had a lot of things happen in his life” in the lead up to the April 16 incident that caused him to veer off track. She said things are more stable now.

Teeter