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WKMG (Orlando, Florida) 30 August 06 Man Attacked Neighbor With Snake
St. Augustine, Fla.: A man whose pet snake was used to attack a St. Augustine neighbor has been charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, according to police.
Police said snake owner Richard Birnberg, 44, went after his neighbor after the neighbor allegedly grabbed Birnberg's snake and threw it on the ground.
The St. Augustine Police Department said it has never seen a case of a snake attack like the one between the two men, according to a WJXT-TV report.
According to police, neighbors living in an apartment complex got into an argument about the pet snake. The fight led to an alleged attack involving the snake and eventually the arrest of Birnberg.
"The suspect became angry at the victim because the victim didn't like snakes, and the suspect's girlfriend had supposedly chased him around with it," said Sgt. Barry Fox of the St. Augustine Police Department.
Police said Birnberg got a knife and threatened his neighbor with it and then beat the man, according to the report.
Police asked the public to take the incident as a lesson not to use snakes to threaten people.
Birnberg was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, which is a felony, and battery.
Man Attacked Neighbor With Snake

...charging all of them with animal cruelty?..