Man arrested for drunk driving with zebra, parrot in truck

Dubuque Police Dept. via KWWL

Jerald Reiter

By Miguel Llanos, msnbc.com

An Iowa man arrested for drunk driving after he left a bar appears to have his "kids" to blame -- a baby zebra and parrot that were with him and his girlfriend.
Jerald Reiter, 55, was charged with operating while under the influence and spent the night in jail before being released Monday.

He told KCRG.com that he suspects the only reason police were at the bar in Dubuque was that someone among the crowd taking pictures of the zebra and parrot contacted authorities.

---

"He was standing outside of his vehicle," Reiter's girlfriend, Vickey Teeters, told KCRG.com. "He was getting ready to switch drivers."

"These are our kids," Teeters added, in explaining why the animals were with them.

The couple said they often take the animals with them, and had planned to bring them into the bar but were told they could not enter because food was being served that night.
Reiter, from nearby Cascade, was arrested after he, Teeters, the zebra and the parrot returned to his truck.
Police said Reiter had actually started driving away from the bar's parking lot, but he insists he had not yet moved the vehicle. Under Iowa law, he can be charged with drunkenness for simply being behind the wheel, KCRG.com reported.