Wildlife officials have cited the owner of a 5-foot-long cobra that escaped from its home in southwest Florida.
Local media outlets report that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has charged 60-year-old Lewis Mark Pellicer with failing to report the escape of a venomous reptile, providing false inventory records and unsafe housing of venomous reptiles.
FWC officers and volunteers scoured bushes, sheds and culverts earlier this month before capturing it. A couple had reported spotting the snake a day earlier. FWC officers connected the snake to Pellicer after checking for venomous reptile license holders in the area. Pellicer lives in Buckingham, 3 miles from where the snake was spotted.
A hearing for Pellicer is scheduled for Dec. 8. It wasn't known if he had an attorney.
