it's clearly stressful on his family.'Īccording to the attorney, Mr Gifford felt sorry for the incident and understood the danger his snake posed to his neighbors. He hasn't faced any charges like this before,' she said. He routed all inquiries and statements through his attorney, Anna Felts. Mr Gifford has not commented publicly on the charges or the confiscation of his reptiles. 'Some have made light of the zebra cobra issue, but it could've ended tragically, and I think we got to take this issue very seriously,' he said. Police used a glue trap to capture the snake.ĭavid Knight, a Raleigh city council member, told the broadcaster that the issue, while strange, is no joke.

Owners of venomous reptiles must house them in secure enclosures with warning signs as well as notifying the police if one were to escape.Īccording to law enforcement, the snake was found outside a neighbor's home after it managed to escape its cage at Mr Gifford's house. While the law allows their ownership, there are still responsibilities for owners who wish to stay within the bounds of the law. The state is one of only six that do not outright ban the private ownership of venomous snakes or require owners to have permits in order to possess them. One of the counts against Mr Gifford notes that the cobra has been loose since November, and that Mr Gifford did not notify law enforcement that it had escaped, as is required under North Carolina law. The other four deal with mislabeling his containers. Mr Gifford faces 36 misdemeanor counts for keeping dangerous reptiles in containers without locks. Once the zebra cobra was found, investigators raided Mr Gifford's home, where they removed several venomous reptiles. After the snake sighting, other neighbors began staying inside their homes.

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