An animal control officer kept 850 snakes in his New York home and is now facing charges for python ownership and town code violations.
According to the Associated Press, officials searched the home of Richard Parrinello Thursday and found what they estimated to be 850 snakes, which included two 6-foot Burmese pythons, in his two garages.
Parrinello, a Brookhaven town animal control officer, was running a snake business illegally out of his home.
CNN reports that the snakes were all healthy and unharmed - kept safely in containers and at the right temperature. "It was a well-maintained facility, it was very clean and organized, it was a business," said the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island communications director, Jack Krieger.
Parrinello faces charges for owning the Burmese pythons, which are illegal in the state of New York, as well as running a business without a permit. He isn’t being charged with any criminal activity, however. The man was caught after an investigation of worker’s compensation fraud that led to a search warrant of Parrinello’s home, which he shares with his wife and 10-year-old son.
The business that Parrinello created was conducted on a website called “Snakeman’s Exotics,” where people could purchase pythons, boa constrictors and hognose snakes.
One thing officials are worried about is the danger the business posed for Parrinello’s neighbors. "What makes this case especially egregious is that this individual was allegedly operating this reptile business out of his home, posing an unknown threat to the neighbors of this community," said Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine. Officials are continuing to investigate.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
