Police found hundreds of snakes, many of which were dead, Wednesday morning at a house in Santa Ana, and the home’s owner was taken into custody, officials said.
The grim discovery was made while officers were executing a search warrant in the 2900 block of Fernwood Drive (map), said Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna, who described the smell inside the house as “terrible.”“In excess of 300 to 400″ reptiles, all believed to be pythons, were found “in various stages of decay,” Bertagna said. One expert told the L.A. Times that the surviving snakes were worth up to $100,000.“There’s also rats and mice. The standard of the care and feeding of these snakes is not up to par,” he said.
Chris Wolfe reports for the KTLA 5 Morning News on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014.