Reality TV star Amy Slaton Halterman arrested during zoo day out for drugs possession and child endangerment

The bizarre incident unfolded after police were called to the scene for an unusual disturbance involving a camel bite, but the the focus of the officer’s attention changed when they detected a suspicious smell coming from a vehicle on the premises.

36-year-old Halterman, who first rose to fame in January 2020 on the hit show alongside her sister, was enjoying a day at West Tennessee Safari Park in the United States when things went wrong.

Police were first called to the tourist attraction yesterday (Monday September 2), which is Labour Day in the US, to help staff deal with a situation where a visitor had been bitten by a camel.

When they arrived, however, officers picked up a smell coming from Halterman's car and went to investigate further. She was sat in the car with a man called Brian Scott Lovvorn, and two children.

When they arrived, the deputies “were immediately overtaken by suspicious odors coming from the guest’s vehicle,” according to the New York Post. Drugs were then found.

Halterman was arrested a short time later and now faces charges of illegal drug possession and two counts of child endangerment. Lovvorn also faces the same charges. Details of what specific substances were found in the car haven’t been released.

When season 1 of the show began Halterman weighed over 400 pounds but then she underwent gastric bypass surgery and shed 136 pounds, bringing her weight down to 275 pounds. Her transformation was a major storyline in the show and inspired many viewers who struggle with similar health and weight issues.

Following her arrest, Halterman’s future on the show remains unclear. Halterman and Lovvorn are being held at the Crockett County Jail. No bond or hearing information is available at this time. The connection between Lovvorn and Halterman remains unclear. It is reported they will be arraigned on the charges on Thursday September 5. County officials did not give any more information about the person who was bitten or disclose the extent of any injuries. No details have been released about what happened to be two children who were in the car with Halterman and Lovvorn either.

Halterman and her estranged husband, Michael Halterman, split up and got divorced last year. Halterman requested that the court “enter a civil restraining order” that would keep both parties “500 feet from one another at all times” and make them stay “500 feet from the residence of the other party.”

Halterman and her now-ex husband eloped together in 2017 and then had an official wedding in 2019, which was documented on the popular TV series in which she made her name.

They separated less than a year after Halterman gave birth to son Glenn Allen in July 2022. Her eldest son, called Gage, was born in November 2020.