Florida Pet Store Owner Arrested for Dragon Smacking

Remember the guy who chugged a box of cockroaches to win a snake and choked to death and died? The owner of the pet store that ran the contest has been arrested for smacking his employees with a bearded dragon. Only in Florida.

From the NYDailyNews here:

A Florida reptile store owner made notorious after a man died during a 2012 insect eating contest at the business is behind bars after he smacked employees with a bearded dragon lizard and even put it in his mouth during a bizarre attack.

Benjamin Herman Siegel, 40, faces several charges, including battery and cruelty to animals after the incident Friday at Ben Siegel Reptiles, his Deerfield Beach, Fla., business.

The eccentric owner is seen on surveillance tape throwing the lizard in the air and swinging it around. Siegel was also seen slapping his employees with the helpless critter and throwing Gatorade on the workers at the store along West Hillsboro Boulevard.

It’s unclear if the lizard was killed.

Hey, at least he doesn’t make them eat crickets from the feed bin.