PATRIOT-NEWS (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) 10 December 06 Owner gives up snakes seized by police (John Beauge)
Shamokin: What a difference six weeks makes.
When she reported to work in Shamokin Police Chief John Brown's office Oct. 25, Lisa White contemplated leaving because she saw two aquariums containing five snakes.
"I wasn't going to sit in there," the chief's secretary said. She remained leery but decided she would not be in danger because the two western diamondback rattlers, a pygmy rattlesnake and two southern copperheads were in secure containers.
Now the snakes are gone. Terry L. Jackson, 36, of Shamokin, agreed to relinquish ownership, and a county judge signed an order allowing the police to get rid of them.
A representative of Zoo-America North American Wildlife Park in Hershey picked up the snakes about a week ago.
One would think White would be glad to seem them go. Not so.
"It's pretty lonely," she said. "We miss the little snakes. They entertained us."
White especially took a liking to the smaller of the two western diamondbacks, which she named Ozzie. Every afternoon, it would get on a rock, rattle a little bit and then go back to sleep, she said.
A picture she took of Ozzie is on her desk. On Monday, she called ZooAmerica to see how the snake was doing in its new environment, but only the pygmy rattler is there.
The other four snakes are with Brian Zahm in Lititz, who said they are doing fine. The volunteer for Forgotten Friends Reptile Sanctuary in Manheim said he might attempt to place the snakes in homes.
Police have pictures of all the snakes in case they will be needed in the case against Jackson, who has been charged with recklessly endangering and disorderly conduct.
She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday before District Judge John Gembic on allegations she used the snakes to keep two police officers at bay when they went to her home in the 400 block of South Market Street about 4:20 a.m. Oct. 25 for a report of a woman with a knife.
When they arrived, they said, Jackson was holding a 10-inch hunting knife. As officers tried to talk her into putting down the knife, they said, she picked up a snake.
Jackson, with a snake in one hand and the knife in the other, told the officers, "I dare you come after me now," police said. She then picked up the other four snakes and waved them at the officers, the arrest affidavit states.
Jackson, who was subdued by a stun weapon, spent about three weeks in Geisinger Medical Center recovering from snake bite wounds to her arm and face.
Owner gives up snakes seized by police

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