It was the late, great Doors vocalist Jim Morrison who sang that he was the Lizard King. This guy ain’t that, more like the lizard abuser.

In the great psycho state of Florida, Benjamin Herman Siegel, 40-years-old, pictured, owner of Siegel Reptiles, was arrested in the scenic suburban strip mall slum of Deerfield Beach, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

According to the police report, video surveillance captured Siegel striking employees with a bearded dragon lizard and then putting it in his mouth. He can be seen throwing the animal in the air and swinging it multiple times. He also threw Gatorade on his employees. Unfortunately, the video is not yet online.

Here is a representative bearded dragon lizard:

“The defendant did unnecessarily torment the animal, handling the animal in a cruel and/or inhumane manner and intentionally committed an act to the animal which results in excessive and repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering to the animal,” police said. The lizard appears to have survived the ordeal.

Siegel seems like a real piece of work. His reptile store, below, made national headlines in 2012 when a man died after consuming dozens of insects in a live roach-eating contest at the shop. The dead man was briefly the winning contestant who downed the bugs in an effort to take the grand prize, a ball python. At the time, Siegel said the bugs were raised in captivity as pet feed.

Image via Florida law enforcement and NY Daily News
All innocent until proven guilty
Reptile Shop Owner Beat Employees With Bearded Dragon Lizard