THE TRIBUNE (South Bend, Indiana) 30 April 08 Snakes seized in Penn case need a home - Youth arrested in Penn murder plot was keeping them in uncle's house. (Jeff Parrott)
South Bend: The foiling of an alleged mass murder plot at Penn High School has left South Bend Animal Control officials with some unwanted guests.
After the arrest last week of a 16-year-old Penn student in connection with the plot, prosecutors told Animal Control they believed the teen had been keeping wild animals in his uncle's South Bend home, where the youth had been staying.
Animal Control officials arrived and after removing two locks from a door leading upstairs, found seven snakes, a baboon spider, a toad and a Pac-Man frog. With the exception of the toad, who had a broken leg and has since died, all of the animals appeared to be well-cared for and healthy, said Gary Libbey, manager of South Bend Animal Care and Control.
However, officials seized the animals because city code prohibits keeping wild animals in general, and venomous snakes in particular. Two of the snakes are timber rattlesnakes, which are venomous and are an endangered species.
The others animals include two corn snakes, a king snake and a red-tailed boa constrictor. The Potawatomi Zoo's reptile expert, called in to help, has been unable to identify one of the snakes, Libbey said.
Libbey said the boy's uncle, as owner of the property, has signed permanent possession of the animals over to the city. Code Enforcement officials are awaiting the conclusion of the criminal probe into the boy's conduct before determining whether to cite his uncle for any ordinance violations, said Catherine Toppel, city Code Enforcement director.
Her Animal Control department is trying to find a reptile rescue group willing and able to take the animals in and find them permanent homes, whether they be in private homes or zoos.
Meanwhile, Animal Control has bought some mice and crickets to feed the animals, as well as some heating pads to keep their aquariums and containers warm, Toppel said.
While she called those costs "minimal," she hopes the rescue group will take the animals by the end of the week, she said. They are being housed at an undisclosed location, rather than the city's Olive Street Animal Control shelter, should the animals get loose, and to prevent their theft, Libbey said.
Toppel said prosecutors have asked her to keep the animals until directed otherwise. When asked Monday whether prosecutors believe the animals were to play any role in the alleged mass murder plot, prosecutors declined comment.
If the city is forced to keep the animals much longer than a week, it could file a petition in court requiring the youth's uncle to post a bond that would fund the animals' upkeep, Toppel said.
The teen, whom The Tribune is not identifying because he is being charged as a juvenile, has his own Web site on which he advocates for the conservation and protection of snakes.
Snakes seized in Penn case need a home