Joshua James, the 23-year-old Florida man who was recently accused of throwing a 3 1/2 foot alligator through a Wendy’s drive-thru window last October, was released from jail on $6,000 bond Tuesday. Considering the nature of the story, reporters were on hand to speak with James when he got out. Since he’d spent a few days in jail, however, James had no idea how viral he had gone and generally seemed pretty confused about the whole thing.
James now understands why what he did was wrong, however, telling reporters, “I think my pranking days are over as of today.”
“Yeah, I mean I’m sorry for what I did. I mean, you know, just being stupid, not thinking and obviously I found out what the consequences were and I’ve got to pay for them.”
When asked why he decided to grab the gator and toss it through the window, James said, “We’re just like outdoors kinda people and just anything we find we kinda just like catch – you know, snakes, lizards, anything. And we just saw an alligator and caught it and were handling it and like I said, ideas start popping and one thing lead to another.”
James says he thinks his court date will be March 31, where he will face charges of assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful sale, possession or transporting of an alligator, and petty theft.
As part of the conditions of his bond, James has been ordered to stay out of all Wendy’s restaurants (although nothing about McDonald’s or Burger King was specified) and avoid contact with all animals other than his mother’s dog. He also must undergo a mental-health evaluation, which is probably not the worst idea in the world.
(Via ABC Action News)