BAKER COUNTY PRESS (Macclenny, Florida) 07 December 06 ‘Show me the python’ (Jim McGauley)

Anybody seen a 33-inch long bald python?

It’s whereabouts are a bit of a mystery since the 20-year-old Glen St. Mary man who admits to stealing it doesn’t remember what he did with the reptile.

Christopher Woolf, in an inteview November 30 with Lt. Chuck Brannan and Investigator Steve Harvey, said he was drunk and high on prescription medication when he took the snake from Gregory Griffis’ residence on South 4th St. in Macclenny. The theft occurred the previous day.

Mr. Griffis, who is confined to a wheelchair, told police the accused came to his house about 7:20 and, after asking to hold the snake, intentionally knocked out a light and plunged the room into darkness. Mr. Woolf complied with the owner’s request to turn a light back on, and realized when Mr. Woolf left soon after that he had taken the snake.

The accused, who lives at 7881 Narrow Trail in Glen St. Mary, got in touch with Mr. Griffis the following day and admitted taking the python valued at $350, and offered to pay for it because he could not locate it. Mr. Woolf’s girlfriend Lindsey Chase also telephoned the owner to promise Mr. Woolf would sell his ATV to raise the cash.

Bald pythons are generally considered good pets and don’t pose a danger to humans, unlike some of their close relatives like Burmese pythons that grow to 30-feet in length. The bald species with its distinct markings rarely gets over eight feet, according to Brian Higginbotham of Callahan, an amateur snake expert who has several for pets.

“They (larger ones) can be dangerous to smaller animals including cats and small dogs,” he said. Whether they seize prey depends largely on their quirky appetites since they can go months without eating, he explained. A snake the size of the missing one normally feeds on mice.

Bald pythons are easily recognizable with a black and brown pattern of striping with white stomachs.

As of Tuesday of this week, Investigator Harvey said the python is still at large.
‘Show me the python’

[ Show Entire Thread ]