Cops Don't Like Spiders and Snakes?

This last month officers with the Arcata Police Dept.  raided a suspected marijuana grow only to discover—snakes, spiders, and iguana yummies among other critters.According to the Arcata Eye,

APD and Arcata Fire personnel were openly discomfited at all the reptilian life in the house, with cages stacked up on each other. That was unnerving enough, but even more worrisome were the many cages that had their doors open. “I’d rather it would have something in it,” said Ranger Kevin Stonebarger.

Compounding the creep-out factor was an open feeding trough of some sort in the garage, apparently for creatures allowed to roam free. Other items in the garage included more cages, plus boxes of reptile food, one of which was labeled “Iguana Yummies.”

There was however also a marijuana grow.  The resident of the house, according to the Arcata Eye, claims the grow belonged to his roommates and was medical. He also says

The snakes… were rescue reptiles. “All the snakes are in rehab,” he said.

He said he’s been dealing with the cold-blooded critters for 13 years, and that he takes in sick and malnourished snakes, nurses them back to health and finds homes for them. The tarantulas, though, are his pets.

To read more about how the officers were so uncomfortable that they mislaid their evidence camera and about the suspect’s confession of multiple dead bodies in the fridge go here.

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Photo of a Sohum snake getting ready to shed its skin for photos of the raid see the Arcata Eye article