CINCINNATI POST (Ohio) 04 March 04 Man must rid home of his deadly pets (Shelly Whitehead)

An unassuming gray frame house on a quiet Covington, Ky., street near Linden Noll Cemetery has been home to some of the deadliest kinds of snakes in the country this winter, according to animal control officials.

Last week, acting on an anonymous complaint, officers visited the home of Scott Carnes at 1532 St. Clair St. and discovered a menagerie that included one western diamondback rattlesnake, one prairie rattlesnake, three canebrake rattlesnakes, five copperheads, four water moccasins, an alligator and an iguana.

And each of the reptiles was in violation of city ordinances and even some state laws barring the keeping of venomous snakes as pets, said Covington Police Officer Dan Farrell.

"The house was clean and he had all the equipment and tools you use for them. -- They were all in aquariums, so I think this guy actually knew what he was doing. I think he just loves reptiles," Farrell said.

Carnes is from Indiana and wasn't aware of the city or state laws he was violating, Farrell said, so officers gave him 24 hours to start finding other homes for the critters.

But Farrell and Covington Animal Control Officer Ed Brown said finding "legal" homes for that many venomous creatures -- not to mention a 2½-foot alligator and a 2-foot iguana -- was no overnight task. That's why Brown said he has continued to check back with Carnes and plans to meet with him today to ensure all the animals have new homes in jurisdictions that permit them.

"To my knowledge, right now, they're all gone," Brown said.

Farrell said snake lovers often see only the beauty in their creatures and none of the danger. That's why he took time to explain not only the law banning the reptiles, but also the purpose behind it in a city where many of the homes are, like those on St. Clair Avenue, mere footsteps apart.

"We explained to this guy that if he gets a good healthy bite, the closest anti-venom might be at the zoo. And if they don't have it, maybe UC. And if they don't, you're (in trouble)," Farrell said.

"And we told him about the liability issues, where say his wife or kids knock over an aquarium and a snake gets out and bites one of the neighbor's kids."

Farrell, the Covington Police Department's in-house reptile expert, said of the 15 snakes housed in Carnes' home, the most dangerous by far were the western diamondback and the prairie rattlesnake.

Carnes told the officers that he got those two snakes "from a guy in Florence who got bit by the prairie rattlesnake. -- And he just said, 'That's it. I'm done.' "

Farrell said the other reptiles would sicken a healthy person with their venom, but probably not kill them.
Man must rid home of his deadly pets

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