West Palm Beach man charged after pet python escapes

WEST PALM BEACH — A 52-year-old West Palm Beach man was charged today with two misdemeanors for illegal possession of a Burmese python.

David T. Beckett was given a notice to appear in the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens on July 13 on charges of illegal possession and improper caging of the reptile, and allowing it escape, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro said in a statement released this afternoon.

The seven-foot snake was found by West Palm Beach police wandering around 420 Kanuga Drive, three blocks away from Beckett's residence, Ferraro said.

Beckett's permit requires owners to hold the reptile in a securely covered tank, which Beckett failed to do, allowing the snake to escape from its aquarium, she said.

Ferraro said the python, which has escaped before in 2009, and is being kept in a permitted facility.

www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/west-palm-beach-man-charged-after-pet-python-1546460.html

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• FL: West Palm Beach man charged - EricWI, Fri Jun 17 17:04:04 2011