Man with Mad Dragons in pants breathes no fire, but is busted in Fort Pierce

Will Greenlee | Treasure Coast Newspapers

FORT PIERCE — A man accused of putting a half dozen Mad Dragons in his pants found himself behind bars, according to an arrest affidavit.

But the dragons that investigators say Adam Hackbarth, 39, stuffed in his trousers in Fort Pierce weren’t the mythical, firebreathing creatures slain by fictional knights.

They were alcoholic beverages.

The case of the dude with Mad Dragons in his dungarees began May 16 when Fort Pierce police went to a store in the 1700 block of South U.S. 1.

The store owner reported seeing Hackbarth, a regular customer, enter “and put two Mad Dragon beers into his pants and walk out the store.”

The manager said that before police arrived, Hackbarth returned twice, putting four additional Mad Dragons in his pants and leaving.

The affidavit describes Mad Dragons as “beer,” but a vigorous Google search turned up multiple entries referring to it as a wine-like product.

“’Light up the Party’ with this innovative wine-based specialty beverage with a kick," the Florida Caribbean Distillers website states, adding Mad Dragon comes in "great tasting flavors of Raging Kiwi Strawberry, Mean Passion Cranberry, Fiery Grape, Angry Orange and Caribe Storm."

In a discussion forum, a poster writes of purchasing Mad Dragon at a gas station, and a respondent warns “dont drink that (expletive), it'll make you run naked in the streets and has anti-freeze in it.”

Mention was not made of Hackbarth running naked in the streets, but police did find him in a back parking lot in the 1100 block of South U.S. 1.

Hackbarth, of Fort Pierce, was arrested on a misdemeanor theft charge after the alleged absconding of Mad Dragons valued at $12.77.