VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — An Edgewater man has been charged with animal cruelty after deputies say he killed a pet ball python by covering it in an acidic solution and leaving it to die in its tank.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
The snake’s owner contacted deputies in late November saying she’d recently moved out of a home in DeBary she shared with 61-year-old Patrick Grimaldi.
READ: Volusia County nursing assistant accused of sexually abusing patient with dementia
The woman said she was able to take two kittens from the home with her, but not her pet python.
The woman told deputies she received text messages and photographs about a week later explaining that the snake had died.
According to the sheriff’s office, a neighbor reported seeing the dead snake in its tank with an empty bottle of Calci-Solve super-strength concentrated de-scaler next to it.
READ: 7-Foot beehive, 100 pounds of honey removed from Florida bathroom wall
The neighbor also told responding deputies that she’d heard a rattling noise earlier in the day, which she thought was the sound of the snake trying to escape its tank.
Deputies say the inside of the snake’s tank was smeared with residue suggesting it had been in distress and struggling to escape the tank, but was trapped because the lid was secured with a strap.
Grimaldi was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of felony cruelty to animals.
READ: President Biden awards Oviedo native Sgt. Alwyn Cashe with Medal of Honor
He’s being held in the Volusia County jail on $2,500 bond.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
ENTERPRISE MAN CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY IN POISONING DEATH OF PET BALL PYTHON An Enterprise man is charged with...
Posted by Volusia Sheriff's Office on Thursday, December 16, 2021
Cox Media Group
