Hoax python trapper facing serious charges

Click here for our original story on the hoax.

Here's the information we received from the FWC:

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigation into the staged capture of a 14-foot-long Burmese python has resulted in charges against the professional nuisance-animal trapper who perpetrated the public hoax.

Photo gallery: Court exhibit photos of a dead and gutted 15-foot python (courtesy South Florida Water Management District)

On Nov. 4, FWC Investigator James Manson arrested Justin Matthews (DOB 07/30/62) of 7416 41st Ave. East, Bradenton, on charges of a single, third-degree felony count of "Misusing a 911 Emergency System" and a second-degree misdemeanor violation of "Maintaining Captive Wildlife in an Unsafe Manner - Resulting in Threats to the Public's Safety."

On July 25, Matthews called Tampa Bay area media to a Bradenton neighborhood to witness the capture of a large Burmese python from a drainage pipe. Matthews told the media he was performing a public service by capturing a large snake residents had reported seeing over a period of months. Matthews also claimed the python posed a threat to nearby schoolchildren. In fact, Matthews had purchased the snake legally from a properly licensed reptile dealer in Tampa a month earlier. He purposefully, and illegally, let the snake go in the drainage pipe and then staged its capture for the media. The story made national headlines.

Manson contacted Matthews after following up on leads that Matthews had legally purchased a large python a month prior to the incident. Matthews admitted to Manson, and publicly, that he released the snake and had staged the event to call attention to a growing problem of irresponsible pet ownership.

However, the release of the snake in the wild and a subsequent call to 911 to request emergency help have Matthews in trouble with the law for the very reason he says he sought publicity.

Burmese pythons have a well-established breeding population in South Florida and are a threat to native wildlife and the state's delicate environment. Burmese pythons are listed as a "reptile of concern," along with five other reptiles.

To own a reptile of concern, owners must have a permit prior to acquiring the animal, pay a $100 fee, complete a questionnaire, and meet caging requirements. The reptile must be microchipped, and the owners' facilities are subject to unannounced onsite inspections. Owners must have a disaster plan for securing and evacuating reptiles. These rules apply to anyone who possesses a reptile of concern - no matter when it was acquired. It is illegal to release any nonnative animal in Florida.