TRIBUNE STAR (Terre Haute, Indiana) 11 September 06 Park employee goes to court over stolen snake
Terre Haute: A city parks department employee will appear in court Oct. 10 in connection with the theft last week of a snake from the Indiana State University Science Building.
On Monday, ISU police served Steve Nard, 24, of Terre Haute, a summons to appear in City Court, where he faces a class-A misdemeanor charge of criminal conversion. A class-A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Nard, a 2005 ISU graduate, formerly worked in the Science Building. He had majored in life sciences.
Nard received the summons at 11:30 a.m. Monday in Dobbs Memorial Park, where he is employed as an assistant to the naturalist. “I think he wanted the snake” as a pet, said Bill Mercier, director of ISU Public Safety.
Nard apparently had removed the snake from the science lab and left it in a place in Dobbs Park where it would be found by another employee. The employee found the snake and contacted Nard. Nard had spoken to Department of Natural Resources conservation officers, inquiring about a permit to keep the snake, Mercier said.
A state conservation officer — unaware the snake had been taken from ISU — killed the animal Thursday because of concerns over public safety. ISU staff didn’t realize the snake was missing until Friday.
Nard is now on an indefinite, unpaid leave with the parks department, said Greg Ruark, parks superintendent. “His condition of employment will be evaluated at the appropriate time,” Ruark said. “Obviously, we’ll let the legal process run its course.”
Nard could not immediately be reached for comment.
After the Pacific rattlesnake was discovered missing Friday, the ISU Science Building was evacuated for about four hours. Nearly a dozen faculty and graduate assistants searched for the snake until they learned that it had been located a day before in Dobbs Park and had been destroyed.
Park employee goes to court over stolen snake

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