WTOV (Steubenville, W Virginia) 07 December 06 Weirton Considers Vicious Pet Amendment (Dino Orsatti)
A pet python that got loose and slithered through the streets of Weirton this summer has prompted city leaders to put more of a bite into their current exotic pet laws.
A nearly 10-foot python roaming the streets of Weirton in September had neighbors on edge.
The python was found the next day in a backyard not far from the Gregory Street apartment where the snake and its owners lived.
No charges were filed against the snake owners since the current dangerous pet ordinance only includes dogs.
The city's animal control officer, George Vacheresse, said the city must put something on the books that includes other vicious animals and pets. Vacheresse said he would constitute a python as vicious because, if it gets in the wrong hands, it could kill someone.
Council decided to consider amending the current vicious pet ordinance rather than create an entirely new ordinance.
Weirton Considers Vicious Pet Amendment