NEWS JOURNAL (Wilmington, Delaware) 16 April 05 Python found in Wilmington home - With owner in jail, 10-foot snake was unfed for weeks (Terri Sanginiti)
A 10-foot albino python with yellow eyes needs a new home.
It was seized Thursday from a residence in the 1300 block of Chestnut St., Wilmington, after officers received an anonymous tip about a reptile in a home, police spokesman Master Sgt. William Wells said.
Officers arrived found the snake in a cage and notified animal control officers at the SPCA.
SPCA executive director John E. Caldwell said the snake belonged to William Leary, 44, who police said has been in jail.
Officers arrested Leary on assault charges March 29 after he was stopped by police for driving recklessly in the Hedgeville area. As officers tried to take him into custody at his Chestnut Street home, Leary's 17-year-old son and two other family members started fighting with the officers, police said.
Five officers and three family members were injured in the disturbance and treated at Wilmington Hospital.
Caldwell said Leary's brother discovered the unattended snake after he went to the house to remove some furniture.
"We had been informed it hadn't eaten for a couple weeks," Caldwell said.
He said the animal control officers had to transport the snake in an open-back pickup truck because the cage was too big for an ordinary vehicle.
Exotic reptiles are prohibited in New Castle County and the city of Wilmington. "You have to have a permit for something like that, and you're not going to obtain a permit because you live in the city of Wilmington," Caldwell said.
He said he planned to contact area zoos about adopting the albino reptile.
"We will try to place it," he said. "Recently, we've been taking the reptiles to Alligator Adventure, in Myrtle Beach, S.C."
In the meantime, the snake will remain at the shelter in Stanton catching up on his missed meals.
Python found in Wilmington home