New York man smashes up head shop using a baseball bat after the store sold his son bath salts

A northern New York man has admitted he used a baseball bat to smash up a head shop after his son overdosed on bath salts sold at the store.

Dan Avery, 49, of Watertown, pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal mischief for breaking a glass countertop and merchandise at Tebb's Headshop in his hometown, The Post-Standard of Syracuse reported. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay $638 in restitution.

Avery said his 24-year-old son, Justin Avery, was hospitalized in July when he overdosed on bath salts bought at Tebb's.



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Dan Avery, 49, of Watertown, New York pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal mischief for breaking a glass countertop and merchandise at Tebb's Headshop in his hometown

Avery said his 24-year-old son, Justin Avery (pictured), was hospitalized in July when he overdosed on bath salts bought at Tebb's

While his son was still recovering, Dan Avery drove to Tebb's and walked into the store with a baseball bat. He asked the clerk if he had any bath salts and when the clerk showed him the products and how to use them, he said he 'just went crazy.'

He smashed a glass countertop, demolished a couple glass ashtrays, and then threw glass pipes from the store shelves at the clerk.

Then he started chasing the clerk, Trevor Harding, back and forth behind the counter. Harding managed to escape to a back room, where he fell on the ground. According to Avery, he had a metal pipe in his hand.



'I stepped on his hand and I said, "Listen. I don’t want to hurt you, man,"' Avery said. '"But I’ll beat your head in, I swear to God, you want to hit me with that pipe.'"

He ordered Harding to sit in the corner of the room as he returned the bat to his truck, then walked back into the store and asked Harding for the store phone. He used it to call 911.



'This is Dan Avery,' he remembered saying. 'I’m in Tebb’s drug store, whatever you call it, up here in the plaza. I just smashed the place up. Better come get me.'

Dan Avery drove to Tebb's with a baseball bat. He asked the clerk if he had any bath salts and when the clerk showed him the products and how to use them, he said he 'just went crazy'

The owner of Tebb's, John E. Tebbetts, pleaded guilty in December to federal drug charges in connection with the bath salts and other drugs, seen here

Avery later said he decided to call police, even though he knew he would likely be arrested, because he 'wanted them to know why I did it.'

'The cop asked me and I said, "So people will know. So other parents who don’t even know their kids can buy this type of drug will be aware."'



So-called bath salts are actually synthetic drugs that can mimic the effects of cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine.

Meanwhile, Tebbetts pleaded guilty in December to federal drug charges in connection with the bath salts.

He admitted to possessing a controlled substance analog - a drug that is chemically similar to a controlled substance - with the intent to sell. Tebbetts faces up to 16 years in prison.

Describing the effects of the drug in a previous interview with the Post-Standard, Justin Avery said his heart started racing, he started sweating heavily and he felt like he couldn't breathe.



VIDEO Father smashes up head shop for selling bath salts



