Cops Rescue Large Tortoise From Drug House

NOVEMBER 20--Along with felony narcotics counts, a Florida Woman has been charged with animal cruelty after cops executing a search warrant found a large tortoise “living among piles of trash and debris” in her ramshackle property, court records show.

The raid Tuesday on the Clearwater home of Olivia Merriex, 33, was triggered by the suspect’s prior sale of Ecstasy to an undercover office, according to police who termed her residence a known “drug house” used to store or sell narcotics.

Investigators seized cocaine, Ecstasy, and DMP (a so-called designer drug) during the search. After being read her rights, Merriex reportedly admitted that narcotics sales occurred at the home, which she had control of following the death of her grandfather.

Multiple suspects fled the property as SWAT team members arrived, with one 36-year-old man running away naked (he was apprehended and charged with resisting).

While going through the residence, police found the tortoise in a trash-strewn room which “had no roof and was failing as a structure.” Additionally, “there was no signs of food or water supply provided for the tortoise.” The reptile had been living for more than ten years at the home and “was left by the deceased homeowner.”

The size and age of the tortoise is not detailed in police reports. The tortoise, seen below, was turned over to the custody of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Apparently believing that the aquarium was now housing a witness in the Tortoise Protection Program, spokesperson Marsha Strickhouser declined to answer TSG questions about the age, weight, species, or condition of the reptile.

Pictured above, Merriex was arrested on two felony narcotics charges, as well as misdemeanor counts of operating a drug house and animal cruelty. She is locked up in lieu of $21,000 bond.

Merriex has prior convictions for disorderly conduct and theft. In 2022, she was arrested in front of her home for possessing crack cocaine and marijuana, though prosecutors subsequently declined to pursue charges. (1 page)