Florida pet store thief tried to hide snake in pants
Published in Weird News
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (UPI) -- A Florida man was caught on camera attempting to steal a snake by putting it in his pants at a local pet store.
Police in Pinellas County said that the man, Travis Treder, entered the Animal House Pet Center in St. Petersburg and placed a baby python in his left pocket.
The store's owner Steve Silk told WFLA that Treder had stolen high-end snakes and lizards from the store on at least two other occasions.
"He's been in twice before over the past nine months and we didn't realize he stole anything until after the fact," Silk said.
Silk had photos of Treder placed behind the counter in response to their past encounters and he and his staff were ready for his most recent theft attempt.
"We waited on him for probably 15 minutes and then we went into the office to see what he was going to do, and sure enough, he targeted our higher-end snakes again," Silk said.
After observing Treder on the surveillance cameras employees worked to restrain him until authorities arrived.
According to WPXI, the baby python cost about $150 and Silk estimates that Treder has stolen a total of nearly a thousand dollars in the past.
Copyright 2016 by United Press International
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