Kentucky Bust
Date: Sun Jul 13 19:08:01 2008
Subject: KY Press x5: Sting net scores of venomos
HERALD-DISPATCH (Huntingdon, W Virginia) 13 July 08 Ten arrested and 125 snakes and reptiles seized in Kentucky
Frankfort, Ky.: Conservation officers with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources yesterday arrested 10 people, cited an additional person, seized more than 125 venomous snakes and other reptiles, and expect to issue more than 700 charges following a nearly two-year undercover investigation focusing on the illegal possession, importation and buying and selling of reptiles in Kentucky.
Forty-four conservation officers served arrest warrants in Bell, Harlan, Madison, Letcher and Boone counties. Officers also seized illegal western diamondback rattlesnakes, timber rattlesnakes, cottonmouth water moccasins, northern and southern copperheads, cobras, great basin rattlesnakes, a gaboon viper, a puff adder and an alligator.
Undercover officers purchased more than 200 illegal reptiles during the nearly two-year investigation code named "Twice Shy"that included Internet sales. Officers levied 416 charges, and expect to issue at least 300 more charges as the investigation continues.
This was a well-conducted and well-documented investigation that has put those who would engage in the illegal selling and buying of any wildlife in Kentucky on notice that they are subject to arrest and prosecution, said Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Director of Law Enforcement Colonel Bob Milligan. It is disturbing to me that individuals would keep such dangerous wildlife in their homes and in neighborhoods where they put their families, visitors and neighbors as such high risk.
Gregory James Coots, 36, of Middlesboro was arrested and faces more than 150 charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife. Officers seized 74 snakes from his Middlesboro home, among them, 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamondback rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.
Zechariah Johnson, 21, of Evarts in Harlan County faces at least 24 counts of illegally buying, selling and possessing venomous snakes. His father, Ricky Johnson, 55, also of Evarts faces at least 59 charges. Officers seized 24 timber rattlesnakes and copperheads from the residence.
Verlin Ray Short, 36, of Mayking in Letcher County, was arrested and faces at least 78 charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing venomous snakes. Officers seized 34 venomous snakes, including a western diamondback rattlesnake, a great basin rattlesnake, timber rattlesnakes and northern and southern copperheads.
Roger Leo Day, 33, of Harlan, was arrested and faces six charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife.
Jerrod Allen, 21, of Berea, was arrested and faces at least nine charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife.
Brian Fryer, 30, of Berea, was arrested and faces at least 46 charges of illegally selling, buying and possessing wildlife. Officers seized an illegal firearm as well.
Michael Peterson, 39, of Florence, was arrested and faces at least 21 charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife. Officers seized an albino cobra, and the frozen remains of a gaboon viper and copperheads.
John Rowland, 46, of Berea was arrested and faces two charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife. His son, Joel Rowland, 18, of Berea also was arrested and faces the same charges.
William R. Howard, 56, of Harlan, was cited and faces three charges of illegally possessing wildlife and at least 35 charges of transporting wildlife without a permit.
Each charge of illegally buying, selling or possessing wildlife is a misdemeanor offense carrying a maximum penalty of one-year imprisonment and a $1,000 fine.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/enter...ed-in-Kentucky
HERALD-LEADER (Lexington, Kentucky) 12 July 08 Sting nets scores of venomous snakes (Jack Brammer)
Frankfort: State conservation officers seized more than 125 venomous snakes, arrested 10 people and cited one other Thursday after a nearly two-year undercover investigation of those who allegedly illegally possessed, imported and trafficked the deadly reptiles.
Forty-four officers with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife confiscated the snakes and other reptiles, including an alligator, in the investigation, and are expected to issue more than 700 charges.
Animals seized include western diamondback rattlesnakes, timber rattlesnakes, cottonmouth water moccasins, northern and southern copperheads, cobras, great basin rattlesnakes, a gaboon viper, a puff adder and a 2-foot-long alligator.
Undercover officers bought more than 200 illegal reptiles during the investigation, code named "Twice Shy".Some were purchased through the Internet.
Arrest warrants have been served in Bell, Harlan, Madison, Letcher and Boone counties.
Officers have already levied 416 charges, and are expected to issue at least 300 more charges as the investigation continues.
hThis was a well-conducted and well-documented investigation that has put those who would engage in the illegal selling and buying of any wildlife in Kentucky on notice that they are subject to arrest and prosecution,g Bob Milligan, law enforcement director for the state fish and wildlife department, said in a statement.
hIt is disturbing to me that individuals would keep such dangerous wildlife in their homes and in neighborhoods where they put their families, visitors and neighbors at such high risk,g he said.
Department spokesman Mark Marraccini said Internet sales hclued us ing to the investigation.
People obtain the animals for various reasons, he said, ranging from the desire for an exotic pet to collection of valuable venom to religious purposes. Handling snakes is practiced in a few churches based on the interpretation of Bible verses saying true believers can take up serpents without being harmed.
Marraccini said the department has done other undercover investigations but this is the first to focus on reptiles.
The seized animals were taken to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo at Slade near Natural Bridge. The alligator was left where it was found, Marraccini said.
Jim Harrison, director of the non-profit institution in Powell County, said his facility will hold them for evidence.
Harrison said the animals are in a variety of conditions, ranging from good to poor. They will remain in quarantine, unavailable for public viewing, for six months.
Those that survive will go to an accredited institution such as a zoo or educational facility, Harrison said.
hAnybody who takes and poaches any wildlife is taking away our natural resources,g he said.
For example, Harrison said, the timber rattlesnake takes eight to 10 years to achieve sexual maturity. hSomething like this could wipe them out,g he said.
In general, Kentuckians with a permit may remove only five snakes from the wild, said Kristen Wiley, curator for the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. But a person who possesses such animals can only sell the captive offspring, not those taken from the wild, she said.
There are two types of state permits required to own such animals. One is for ownership and the other is for commercial license to sell offspring, Wiley said.
The state released information about the following arrested individuals, all of whom face misdemeanor charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife that carry a maximum penalty of a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
¡ Gregory James Coots, 36, of Middlesboro, faces more than 150 charges. The Associated Press reported that Coots is pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name in Middlesboro, where a Tennessee woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a service in 1995.
Coots was charged Thursday with buying, selling and possessing illegal reptiles.
Officers seized 74 snakes from his home, including 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamond rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.
¡ Zechariah Johnson, 21, of Evarts in Harlan County, faces at least 24 charges.
His father, Ricky Johnson, 55, of Evarts, faces at least 59 charges.
Officers seized 24 timber rattlesnakes and copperheads from the residence.
¡ Verlin Ray Short, 36, of Mayking in Letcher County, faces at least 78 charges.
Officers seized 34 venomous snakes, including a western diamond rattlesnake, a great basin rattlesnake, timber rattlesnakes and northern and southern copperheads.
¡ Roger Leo Day, 33, of Harlan, faces six charges.
¡ Jerrod Allen, 21, of Berea, faces at least nine charges.
¡ Brian Fryer, 30, of Berea, faces at least 46 charges.
¡ Michael Peterson, 39, of Florence, faces at least 21 charges.
Officers seized an albino cobra and the frozen remains of a gaboon viper and copperheads.
http://www.kentucky.com/254/story/459181.html
WKYT (Lexington, Kentucky) 12 July 08 Snakes May Have Been Used in Church (Wendy Enneking)
Three Berea men are among the ten men that were arrested earlier this week on charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife. 30-year-old Brian Fryer, 46-year-old John Rowland and 21-year-old Jerrod Allen were all arrested as part of a two year investigation by state wildlife officials called "Twice Shy."
Members of Fryer's family told 27 NewsFirst that they believe he captured the snakes in the wild and took them to services at the Harmon's Lick Holiness Church in Berea. They also say they doubt Fryer had any idea that he was doing anything illegally. Fellow church members also describe Fryer as a "nice man." The pastor of Harmon's Lick declined to speak with WKYT.
More than 125 snakes were confiscated in the "Twice Shy" operation. They are being quarantined at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. Zoo director Jim Harrison says they will eventually be distributed to accredited institutions and will not go back into the pet trade.
Harrison says that in Kentucky you are allowed to keep five native species in a collection provided you have the proper permits. You are not allowed to sell the animals.
Each charge of illegally buying, selling or possessing wildlife is a misdemeanor offense carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
http://www.wkyt.com/news/headlines/24822734.html
ASSOCIATED PRESS (USA) 11 July 08 Pastor among suspects in illegal snake bust (Roger Alford)
Frankfort, Ky. (AP): The pastor of a Kentucky church that handles snakes in religious rites was among 10 people arrested by wildlife officers in a crackdown on the venomous snake trade.
More than 100 snakes, many of them deadly, were confiscated in the undercover sting after Thursday's arrests, said Col. Bob Milligan, director of law enforcement for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.
Most were taken from the Middlesboro home of Gregory James Coots, including 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a western diamondback rattlesnake, two cobras and a puff adder.
Handling snakes is practiced in a handful of fundamentalist churches across Appalachia, based on the interpretation of Bible verses saying true believers can take up serpents without being harmed. The practice is illegal in most states, including Kentucky.
Coots, 36, is pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name in Middlesboro, where a Tennessee woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a service in 1995. Her husband died three years later when he was bitten by a snake in northeastern Alabama.
Coots was charged Thursday with buying, selling and possessing illegal reptiles. He had no listed telephone number and couldn't be reached for comment. There was no phone listing for the church.
"It is disturbing to me that individuals would keep such dangerous wildlife in their homes and in neighborhoods where they put their families, visitors and neighbors at such high risk," Milligan said.
The snakes, plus one alligator, were turned over to the nonprofit Kentucky Reptile Zoo in Slade. Most appeared to have been captured from the wild, with some imported from Asia and Africa.
Zoo Director Jim Harrison said some of the animals would likely have become exotic pets had they not been seized.
"There's been a large trade in exotics for years," he said. "Some people are just fascinated with them."
Undercover officers purchased more than 200 illegal reptiles during the investigation, some of which were advertised for sale on Web sites. One such Web site lists copperheads for $50 each and cobras for $450.
"You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense," Harrison said. "A venomous snake isn't a pet. You don't play with it. If you do, you're an idiot."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j...O33UAD91S2VJG0
HERALD-LEADER (Lexington, Kentucky) 11 July 08 Wildlife officers take bite out of Ky. snake trade (Roger Alford)
Frankfort, Ky. (AP): Wildlife officers have arrested 10 Kentucky serpent traders and confiscated more than 100 rattlesnakes, copperheads, water moccasins and cobras.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Director of Law Enforcement Col. Bob Milligan said it was unclear whether the snakes were intended for Appalachian churches where handling serpents is a religious rite or whether they were destined to become exotic pets in homes.
"It is disturbing to me that individuals would keep such dangerous wildlife in their homes and in neighborhoods where they put their families, visitors and neighbors as such high risk," Milligan said.
Wildlife officers made the arrests on Thursday, concluding a nearly two-year undercover investigation into Kentucky's snake trade. Those arrested were charged with illegally possessing, importing, buying or selling reptiles.
Milligan said the snakes, plus one alligator, were turned over to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo at Slade.
Jim Harrison, director of the nonprofit zoo, said the reptiles would most likely have become exotic pets if they had not been seized by wildlife officers. Some, he said, may have ended up in the hands of religious snake handlers.
Undercover officers purchased more than 200 illegal reptiles during the investigation, some of which were advertised for sale on Web sites. One such Web site lists copperheads for $50 each. Cobras for $450.
"You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense," Harrison said. "A venomous snake isn't a pet. You don't play with it. If you do, you're an idiot."
Harrison said most of the confiscated snakes that were sent to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo appeared to have been captured from the wild. Some had been imported from Asia and Africa.
Most of the people arrested were in Appalachian counties. They were dealing in a variety of snakes, including the gaboon viper and puff adder, both highly venomous. Officers confiscated 200 reptiles, including 125 snakes.
Harrison said sales of poisonous snakes aren't new.
"There's been a large trade in exotics for years," he said. "Some people are just fascinated with them."
Harrison said most of the people who keep snakes are obtaining the proper permits, purchasing appropriate holding tanks, and keeping anti-venom on hand.
"I think it's a bad idea to keep the venomous snakes if you don't have your own anti-venom," Harrison said.
http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/458605.html