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W von Papineäu
at Wed Jul 28 13:09:25 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by W von Papineäu ]
POST AND COURIER (Charleston, S Carolina) 28 July 04 4 face charges in theft of animals from expo (Steve Reeves)
Four people have been charged in connection with last weekend's theft of dozens of rare snakes and amphibians, but investigators still haven't solved the mystery of exactly what happened to the critters.
It's believed the thieves already might have sold the pythons, boa constrictors, western pond tortoises and other rare and expensive reptiles on the black market. The animals were stolen from a reptile show held over the weekend at the fairgrounds in Ladson.
Early Tuesday morning, deputies from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office arrested Shannon Payne, 23, Steven V. Baker, 24, Randall R. Byrd, 17, and Joshua M. Cabrera, 16, who is being charged as an adult.
All four are accused of stealing more than $21,000 worth of animals and more than $3,000 in jewelry.
Investigators said their break came when Byrd's stepfather found a large amount of jewelry and alerted authorities. Byrd told investigators about the other suspects, leading to their arrests. Deputies raided Payne and Baker's house early Tuesday.
Investigators have recovered some exotic animals, but it's not known if those were among the ones stolen over the weekend. The suspects reportedly have refused to say what happened to the animals.
"Our concern right now is that the stolen animals have not been recovered," said Kay Hyman, spokeswoman for the John Ancrum SPCA. "They're in danger of dying. Those kinds of animals need to be kept in the correct environment."
Among the animals stolen were albino Burmese pythons, hognose snakes, wood turtles and hatchling pancake turtles. Alan Bosch, owner of Alan Bosch Reptiles in Moncks Corner, lost about $3,000 worth of reptiles in the burglary. He's convinced the thieves have already sold the animals.
"I'll never see my animals again, sad to say," Bosch said.
Investigators claim that Baker and Payne, both of Lincolnville, offered Byrd $1,000 to break into a building at the Ladson Exchange Park. Byrd and Cabrera, both of Summerville, are accused of carrying out the burglary.
Payne and Baker each are charged with one count of grand larceny, two counts of accessory to burglary and four counts of animal neglect. Byrd and Cabrera each are charged with burglary and grand larceny. Payne and Baker also face charges of unlawful possession of a spotted turtle and unlawful possession of an American alligator skull.
In an unrelated case, Baker was shot in April by a shotgun booby trap investigators said was designed to keep people away from a pit bull breeding facility near the Rantowles-Red Top area. The land surveyor said he was surveying a tract when he heard dogs barking and went closer to investigate.
Baker was hit by 24 birdshot pellets when the booby trap went off. The owner of the property, David Tant, was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill.
Investigators said they still are trying to determine if the expo burglary was part of a larger black-market operation.
Sheriff Al Cannon said the motive was easy to discern. "It's a different kind of theft, a different kind of commodity, but the underlying theme is still the same: greed."
Robert Constantinou, an organizer of the Lowcountry Reptile and Amphibian Expo, said as exotic animals grow in popularity, thieves are increasingly targeting them.
"Exotic animals are the fastest growing animal market in the world, hands down," he said. "We take all the precautions we can to prevent thefts, but where there's a will, there's a way."
4 face charges in theft of animals from expo
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SC Press: 4 face charges in theft of animals from expo - W von Papineäu, Wed Jul 28 13:09:25 2004