Tennessee man awakened in roadside ditch with moonshine and loaded rifle on his chest

Associated Press

Last update: November 12, 2009 - 7:19 PM

ATHENS, Tenn. - When Ricky Butler went to sleep on a rural, East Tennessee roadside, he didn't have to worry about comfort but apparently he was feeling insecure. McMinn County deputies found the 31-year-old Decatur man sleeping on his back in a roadside ditch, with a loaded rifle on his chest and an almost empty jar of moonshine in the bib of his overalls.

Butler told deputies who woke him up Sunday that he didn't know where he was. He also told them the jar had been full.

Deputies said Butler also had a machete and hand-rolled cigarettes believed to be marijuana.

He is free on bond, charged with public intoxication, possession of drugs and unlawful possession of a weapon.

A public defender has been appointed but has not yet spoken to Butler, whose telephone number isn't listed.

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Information from: The Daily Post-Athenian, http://dpa.xtn.net