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Tennessee man high on 'wasp spray dope' found naked in tree after breaking into stranger's house

Posted at 6:49 PM, Jan 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-04 13:58:35-05

Officials in Tennessee are incredibly concerned about a dangerous new drug following a disturbing incident before Christmas in which a man ended up naked in a tree.

The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office says Danny Hollis was high on “Wasp Spray Dope” when he walked into a home in Lawrenceburg on Dec. 18 and told the family inside that he needed help.

The family, who was making Christmas cookies at the time, had never seen Hollis before but he was quickly helping himself to a glass of water from their sink.

He then allegedly took out a knife and cut himself across the throat.

“My mom was like, ‘you’re bleeding all over our stuff, can you not?’” said Canaan Johnson, 16, who was home during the bizarre incident.

Canaan said Danny Hollis then ran to the second floor of the family home, where he proceeded to throw an oak dresser down the stairs. The falling dresser punctured a massive hole in the sheetrock above the stairs.

Hollis then jumped out a second floor window, landing on a gazebo below and severely injuring his neck. At this point, Canaan says the family had gotten into the car to call 911.

As Hollis tried to chase the family down the street he got stuck on a piece of barbed wire fence. According to a police report, he then stripped down naked in order to free himself from the fence.

By the time officials arrived they found Hollis 6 feet off of the ground in a tree, completely naked. As officials attempted to use a stun gun to get Hollis out of the tree, he allegedly began throwing his own fecal matter at the officers.

“They say he didn’t remember any of it, how is that possible,” Canaan wondered.

It’s likely possible because of a dangerous new drug known as “Wasp Spray Dope.” Officials in Lawrence County said drug dealers are crystallizing wasp spray, then mixing them with meth.

"It’s fairly new but it seems to be spreading, rapidly,” said Zach Ferguson, an investigator with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.

Ferguson’s biggest concern is that users may not know they are getting “Wasp Spray Dope,” and will get a dangerous high similar to the one Danny Hollis got.

“Obviously his mental status was altered,” Ferguson added.

Danny Hollis was booked into the Lawrence County jail on a number of charges.