A story that was bizarre enough to begin with has taken an abrupt turn toward the plot of a really, really bad made-for-TV movie.
Shortly after Harvey Updyke‘s court appearance for his arrest for allegedly poisoning the Auburn’s Toomer’s Corner oaks, Updyke’s attorney appeared on Paul Finebaum‘s radio show for an interview. And dropped the latest bizarre twist in the long-running Auburn-Alabama soap opera.
According to Glennon Threatt, his client was physically assaulted outside of an Opelika gas station shortly after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing this afternoon. That’s right, the alleged tree attacker has now become the alleged victim. Or, as Nashville radio host Clay Travis put it on Twitter: “Alabama = bat**** insane”.
Updyke claimed to a gas station employee that he was “jumped from behind the store”, and police who interviewed the Tide fan said he had a scratch on his forehead.
“Somewhere right outside of Opelika Harvey stopped at a gas station to get a drink and some gas, and when he got out of his car, it went black,” Threatt said on Finebaum’s show. “He woke up on the ground. He had been hit in the head with something. He wandered into the gas station in pain, and they directed him to a local emergency room.”
Threatt went on to claim that Updyke suffered facial bruises and a split brow, and that “he may have a slight concussion”. Updyke has since been released from the emergency room, and the Opelika-Auburn police department is investigating his claims.
There’s no word yet on whether a female who goes by the name of “Lady Karma” was in the area at the time of the attack.
UPDATED 8:28 p.m. ET: The Hottest Auburn Blog on the Net (HABOTN) has posted a very interesting piece that casts some serious doubts on Updyke’s claims that he was attacked. It’s worth a look, so click HERE.