No charges of cruelty will be pursued
The Greene County sheriff’s office deals more often with cattle on the roadway and dogs running at large than with what Sheriff Steve Haupert and deputy Kirk Hammer took care of Monday. They helped remove about 100 ball pythons from a rural Grand Junction residence when it was determined the snakes were not receiving proper care.
The snakes were the property of Anthony McCain, who has bred and sold pythons for several years. McCain was unexpectedly called out of town in mid-February and volunteers were caring for the snakes. Haupert was aware of the situation with the snakes from his knowledge of McCain. He contacted staff at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship who had previous contact with McCain on licensing matters for his McCain Reptiles business. The IDALS staffer provided guidance on how to determine if the snakes should be removed.
Monday morning, a veterinarian from Iowa State University who specializes in reptiles went to McCain’s residence and inspected the pythons. He determined they should be moved to a facility for better care. Haupert contacted Tom Weidner, owner of Snakes Alive near the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Weidner came and assisted Haupert and Hammer in placing the pythons in containers for transport. Haupert did not specify whether Weidner took them to Snakes Alive.
Haupert explained that the county had the authority to investigate the condition of the snakes per Iowa Code, Chapter 717B, Injury to Animals other than Livestock. He said no animal cruelty charges will be pursued since the veterinarian did not think criminal charges were necessary, but only removal of the snakes. Haupert said it was not known if McCain would be able to reclaim any or all of the snakes. The county incurred only the expense of manpower in the case.
