Alleged Drug Dealer’s Mug Shot Goes Viral, but He May Suffer From a Rare Medical Condition

A man’s mugshot went viral last week due to the size of his neck Escambia Sheriff's Office

An alleged drug dealer’s mugshot went viral last week due to the size of his neck, prompting a number of jokes.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida on Nov. 13, posted the mugshot of Charles Dion McDowell, 31. He was charged with eluding police, possession of methamphetamine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell or deliver, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug equipment.

McDowell’s being held on $57,000 bond.

“A big thank you to Bob Tyler Toyota for his continued partnership with Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers and the ECSO in expanding the reach of Wheel of Fugitives to WEAR ABC 3 News, Pensacola,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

The post had more than 61,000 likes, 264,000 shares, and nearly 300,000 comments as of Nov. 19.

It’s not the first time McDowell has been arrested, as there are other mug shots of him available on the Internet.

But his most recent arrest went viral and spawned a number of jokes.

“They gonna put him in jail and throat away the key,” wrote one person.

Added another: “You people should be ashamed of yourselves, all this neckativity isn’t right at all.”

“He’ll be outta jail neck week,” wrote another.

Said another, “Dude up to his neck in charges.”

Added one: “So I guess they take crime seriously in his neck of the woods.”

“I wonder if he gets out, what he gone do necks,” said another person.

As Dr. Milton Wolf noted, McDowell’s neck might be due to a medical condition, accusing the media of “body shaming.”

He said it might be pterygium colli deformity, known as webbed neck, and is associated with Turner Syndrome and Noonan Syndrome. However, Turner Syndrome is a genetic disorder that only affects females.

“It’s called pterygium colli deformity. Or webbed neck. It’s associated with various medical disorders, most commonly Turner Syndrome. So I guess the MSM is cool with body shaming, so long as it’s the result of a medical condition?” he wrote on Twitter.

“The prevalence of pterygium colli ‘webbed neck’ is 75 percent in patients with Turner syndrome. This congenital deformity manifests as a bilateral cervical skin fold stretching from the mastoid to the acromion. Although the visibility of this skin fold varies among patients, it frequently has negative social effects. The surgical management of this malformation remains challenging as it requires the achievement of a harmonious neck profile and natural hairline implantation,” according to the U.S. Library of Medicine’s website.

It’s not clear if McDowell actually suffers from any rare genetic disorders.

And the National Organization for Rare Diseases writes of Noonan Syndrome: “Noonan syndrome is a genetic disorder that is typically evident at birth (congenital). The disorder is characterized by a wide spectrum of symptoms and physical features that vary greatly in range and severity. In many affected individuals, associated abnormalities include a distinctive facial appearance; a broad or webbed neck; a low posterior hairline; a typical chest deformity and short stature.”

It adds that some “features of the head and facial (craniofacial) area may include widely set eyes (ocular hypertelorism); skin folds that may cover the eyes’ inner corners (epicanthal folds); drooping of the upper eyelids (ptosis); a small jaw (micrognathia); a depressed nasal root; a short nose with broad base; and low-set, posteriorly rotated ears (pinnae).”