The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Monday, December 31, 2018 04:29 PM

New Drug Leads To TN Man Ending Up Naked In Tree After Bizarre Encounter With West TN Family Over Holidays

LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. (WTVF) -- Lawrence County officials said they were concerned about a dangerous new drug after an incident before Christmas that involved a man who ended up naked in a tree.

Officials said Danny Hollis was high on "Wasp Spray Dope" when he entered a Lawrenceburg home on December 18 and told the family who lived there that he needed help. The family was making Christmas cookies at the time and said they had never seen Hollis before; however, that didn't stop him from helping himself to a glass of water from their sink, CBS affiliate WTVF reports.

Police said Hollis then took out a knife and cut his own throat.

"My mom was like, 'You're bleeding all over our stuff, can you not?'" Canaan Johnson, who was at home during the bizarre incident, said.

Johnson said Hollis ran to the second floor of the family's home, after which he threw an oak dresser down the stairs. The dresser hit the sheetrock above the stairs, putting a massive hole into it.

According to WTVF, Hollis jumped out a second floor window, landing on a gazebo below and "severely injuring" his neck.

The family, meanwhile, entered their vehicle and called 911 while Hollis chased them down the street. While Hollis was chasing the family, he became stuck on a piece of barbed wire fencing. According to a police report, he stripped down naked in order to free himself from the fence.

When officials arrived, they found Hollis in a tree, completely naked. Officials attempted to use a stun gun on Hollis, at which point he allegedly began throwing his own fecal matter at officers.

"They say he didn't remember any of it," Johnson said. "How is that possible?"

Officials said that could have been caused by a new drug called "Wasp Spray Dope." Lawrence County law enforcement said drug dealers were making the drug by crystalizing wasp spray and mixing those crystals in with methamphetamine.

"We don't know the long term effects of it because there's not enough research out there. It's fairly new, but it seems to be spreading rapidly," Zach Ferguson, an investigator with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, said.

Ferguson also said he was concerned that users may not know the wasp spray material could be part of drugs they purchase.

As for Hollis, "Obviously his mental status was altered," Ferguson said.

Hollis was booked into the Lawrence County jail on a number of charges, WTVF reports.