According to a Knoxville local news station article, a man went to the county courthouse to pay his fine for public intoxication. Turns out he was drunk, and ended up passing out while waiting in his seat. To make things even more interesting, he had brought his pet scorpion with him. Apparently while he was passed out, it leaped out of his hand and got loose in the office. Several people thought it was merely a toy until it started running around. The assistant prosecutor heard the county clerk scream and ran in and cornered the scorpion and caught it. The drunken man was charged, yet again, for public intoxication.