$40,000 Snakes Missing From Pet Store

DELAND – Eight pregnant ball pythons are missing from a DeLand pet store.

Investigators know the pet store was broken into, but because there are no surveillance cameras, they don’t actually know what happened to the missing snakes.

“I can hit the police station and fire station with a rock from my back door. I just never expected it,” said Gary Locker, the owner of Animalia Pets.

Locker said when he walked into his pet store Tuesday, he had no idea it had just been robbed.

“When we came in, it was business as usual,” Locker said.

It was only when Locker went to the back that he noticed the cash box was open.

He then realized the drawers he keeps his snakes in were open and nine pregnant ball pythons were gone.

Locker said whoever stole the money and possibly the snakes used the back door to get inside. They first forced the door open with their foot and then walked right in.

He eventually found one of the missing snakes in the building. However, he doesn’t know where the other eight are, but said they’re harmless.

People News 13 spoke with said that doesn’t really matter.

“My husband has a snake and I go nowhere near the room that it’s in. So I would be a little nervous,” said Julia Clarke.

Currently, police are treating the missing snakes as a burglary.

Locker said losing the eight pregnant pythons could cost him up to $40,000. He’s hoping to find them somewhere in his store.

As for implanting microchips into the pythons, Locker said he never did.

Locker said even if he did, it wouldn’t help. The microchips aren’t like a GPS. They only contain information if the snake is found.

Investigators said there isn’t much they can do right now.