The 8 foot king cobra, Elvis, escaped from his enclosure at an Orange County home in September of 2015, setting off a massive search for the poisonous snake and county wide panic.
The snake’s former owner, Matthew Kennedy, is accused of waiting 24 hours to report the escape, a fact that he reportedly shared with a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission official at the time.
A district court judge ruled that the statements made to the official could not be used against Kennedy, but now an appellate court overturned that decision.
Shortly after the escape, FWC revoked Kennedy’s license to keep exotic pets at west Orange County home.
Elvis was found nearly a month later behind a dryer in the garage of a nearby home.
Kennedy was also charged with maintaining captive wildlife in a manner and condition which resulted in its escape, not providing secure housing for a poisonous snake by constructing an enclosure from unauthorized materials and failing to immediately report the snake’s escape.A hearing in the case is scheduled for the end of February. Watch video here in APP https://youtu.be/Si1MlWI3DRY
Sign Up
