NEWSDAY (Melville, New York) 23 December 13 Man pleads guilty after caught on video stealing snakes (Gary Dymski)
A Bay Shore man has pleaded guilty to petty larceny after police said he stole three boa constrictors from a West Islip exotic reptile store earlier this month.
Brian Schmieder, 54, of Peters Boulevard, was caught on video taking the snakes from Repxotica, 19 Udall Rd., on Dec. 6., authorities said.
Schmieder entered his plea Friday at First District Court in Central Islip and was released on his own recognizance, court records show.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 14, according to the Suffolk County district attorney's office.
Video surveillance supplied by the store to News 12 Long Island shows a man handling the snakes before walking off without paying for them.
Schmieder was arrested Wednesday at his home on a charge of fourth-degree grand larceny, a police spokeswoman said. That charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, court records show.
Police said Monday all three snakes had been returned to the store.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/officials-man-pleads-guilty-after-caught-on-video-stealing-snakes-1.6661748
NEWS 12 LONG ISLAND (Woodbury, New York) 23 December 13 Brian Schmieder pleads guilty to stealing snakes from Repxotica in West Islip; wife apologizes
West Islip: The wife of the man who stole three boa constrictors from a West Islip pet shop has apologized for her husband's actions, and says he wasn't in his right state of mind when he took them.
Brian Schmieder, 54, has admitted that he went into Repxotica on Dec. 6 and stuffed three albino boas in his pockets before leaving the store. He has since pleaded guilty to petty larceny.
Workers at the shop say Schmieder had been in the store before and asked questions about the pricey reptiles, which go for about $400 each.
Florence Schmieder says her husband loves animals and stole the snakes as a Christmas gift for their grandsons. She says she had no idea the snakes were being kept in a furnace room in their home until police showed up and arrested her husband last Wednesday.
The snakes were returned to the store a few days ago by Florence Schmieder, who apologized for her husband's actions. "He wasn't in his right state of mind," she said. "He's having some mental issues."
Repxotica workers say the store has added locks to certain snake cages and has installed additional security cameras since the incident.
Schmieder's wife says he will serve three years probation for the theft.
http://longisland.news12.com/news/brian-schmieder-pleads-guilty-to-stealing-snakes-from-repxotica-in-west-islip-wife-apologizes-1.6661126
