Hawkins deputies wrangle monkeys at meth lab raid
By Jeff Bobo
Published December 21st, 2010 | Added December 21st, 2010 3:22 am | Comments
William Alan "Monkey Man" Givan
ROGERSVILLE — The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office is well trained and experienced in a variety of meth lab scenarios, but they entered uncharted waters Friday afternoon with the added element of four live monkeys.
While conducting investigations on the far western edge of Hawkins County on Friday afternoon, deputies with the HCSO Narcotics Unit visited the home of William Alan “Monkey Man” Givan, 40, 139 Grassy Valley Road, Whitesburg.
Narcotics Unit supervisor Sgt. Chad Gillenwater said deputies pulled into Givan’s driveway and were met by Givan outside. Officers immediately detected the odor of meth manufacturing not only from the residence, but from Givan himself, Gillenwater added.
Givan signed a consent to search form, at which time he allegedly stated to deputies, “When you go up there I’m going away for a long time.”
“Once inside the home, officers discovered that Mr. Givan was in the process of ‘smoking the lab off,’ which is the final step to the manufacturing process,” Gillenwater said. “Officers located mason jars with coffee filters in the tops which were straining the actual finished methamphetamine from the chemical liquid. Another coffee filter with a considerable amount of methamphetamine was found stuck in behind a fluorescent lightbulb, which is a way of drying finished methamphetamine.”
Deputies also found four monkeys in the home, which Givan reportedly keeps as pets. Gillenwater said the exact type of monkey was unknown, although he said three were smaller, around 20 pounds, and one was larger, about 50 pounds.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency was called in to investigate the legality of owning the monkeys. Gillenwater said it was determined that the monkeys were not illegal, and they were placed in the custody of Givan’s wife, who was not implicated in the meth lab and was not charged.
Gillenwater noted, however, that the monkeys were aggressive toward officers and actually ripped a TWRA officer’s jacket.
Aside from the meth lab, deputies reported seizing other meth lab components including an improvised gas generator, starting fluid, a respirator and a five-gallon bucket of ammonia nitrate.
Also seized were several glass pipes, bongs and a small amount of marijuana.
A burn barrel outside was believed to be where Givan disposed of other meth lab trash.
Hawkins County HazMat and the Bulls Gap Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene to assist in Givan’s decontamination.
The Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force responded to the scene to assist with cleanup.
Givan was charged with manufacturing meth, possession of Schedule II narcotics, simple possession of marijuana, maintaining a dwelling where narcotics are housed or sold and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was released from the Hawkins County Jail Saturday afternoon on $25,000 bond.
Gillenwater said Givan’s residence has been quarantined. He said the monkeys were kept in an area of the residence separate from where the meth lab was located, and they didn’t have to be decontaminated.
