LIVINGSTON, TX—In a shocking turn of events, a Polk County man was arrested yesterday after authorities discovered his elaborate backyard moonshine operation, consisting of a makeshift still assembled from the bed of an old pickup truck.

The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Billy Joe Jenkins, had reportedly been engaging in the illegal distillation of moonshine for several months before a concerned neighbor tipped off law enforcement. Upon arriving at Jenkins’ residence, located on a secluded dirt road just outside of Livingston, officers were stunned to find a fully operational moonshine still hidden under a tarp behind the dilapidated truck.

“It was like something out of a movie,” Sheriff Bob Thompson recounted. “We had no idea that someone in our quiet little town was running a moonshine operation right in their own backyard. And using a pickup truck as the base of the still? That’s just next-level ingenuity.”

Jenkins, who is known locally for his love of NASCAR and country music, allegedly confessed to authorities that he had been inspired to start brewing moonshine as a way to “keep the spirit of the old South alive.” He claimed that his moonshine, which he dubbed “Redneck Reserve,” was a tribute to the traditions of his ancestors.

“It’s a shame,” remarked Thompson. “Billy Joe could have just stuck to making homemade apple pie like everybody else in town. But no, he had to go and try his hand at illegal liquor distillation. It’s a slippery slope, I tell ya.”

Jenkins is currently being held at the Polk County Jail, facing charges of illegal alcohol production and possession of an unregistered still. As for the pickup truck-turned-still, authorities have deemed it a hazardous waste site and are working to safely dismantle it.