‘Otis’ cited for obstruction in Mount Airy

MOUNT AIRY, NC (AP) — Looks like Otis is in trouble again.
Jimmy Slate dresses as the often-jailed Otis from “The Andy
Griffith Show” and is to be in court Friday on a charge of
violating a city ordinance against obstructing the sidewalk.

Slate is a former Mount Airy police officer and avid “Andy
Griffith Show” fan who has been impersonating its Otis Campbell
town-drunk character for about four years while playing checkers
with tourists on the sidewalk.

Police say the 63-year-old Slate was not dressed as Otis or
playing checkers in April when he was taken into custody in Mount
Airy, the town that provided the bases for Griffith’s Mayberry.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)