Fox 8 Video
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — A man has been charged with leaving behind more than 40 dead snakes after moving out of a rental home.
Chris Walton was charged with multiple counts of cruelty to an animal after snakes and dead rats were found in a rental home on Larson Street.
The animals were all found in plastic crates, decomposed to the point there were only bones, said Tiffany Rahenkamp, Walton's former landlord. The rats were believed to be used as food for the snakes, Rahenkamp said.
"I don't care if it's a dog, a human, a snake or a spider. It's a living thing, you don't have to treat it like this," Rahenkamp said.
Animal control is trying to determine the how the animals died. Rahenkamp said she believes the animals either froze to death or starved. Animal control is also trying to determine the type of snakes found.
"They were no garden snakes. They were much bigger than that," Rahenkamp said.
Walton had just moved out of the home on Thursday and left many other things behind, including TVs, clothing and even food. Rahenkamp said there was also a strong stench when she first walked in.
"It was honestly one of those things where we walked in and walked right back out. It was like a full-time job getting the stuff out of the house," Rahenkamp said.
Walton had rented there for years, Rahenkamp said. Walton was called at work Tuesday but declined a request for comment