An Oregon man really wanted a pet snake, but he didn't want to pay for it.
Instead, he stole the snake from A to Z pet store in Portland, Oregon, and walked out of the store with the 2-foot-long reptile stuffed down his pants.
Christin Bjugan, owner of A to Z pet store, expects to have the snake returned soon. She has video surveillance of the theft that has helped viewers and police identify a suspect.
"We know who did it," she said Monday. "We know where he lives, we know where he works, we know all about him and his girlfriend. We're just waiting to get our snake back."
The surveillance video shows the suspect handing a set of keys to a woman before taking the snake from a tank and waddling out of the store.
According to Bjugan, it was "pretty gutsy" for the man to put the python down his pants, especially because the incident occurred just days before the snake was to be fed.
"He's lucky it wasn't feeding day," Bjugan told KPTV. "Feeding days are on Mondays. And they're very hungry."
On the other hand, she said, the snake does like warm, dark places.
"I'm just surprised that people are so bold," Bjugan told KGW-TV.
The stolen snake is a black pastel ball python that sells at the pet store for $200.
"We have a cheap price. Usually they go for about $400," Bjugan said.
Sgt. Greg Stewart of the Porland Police Bureau said the department has investigated thefts at pet stores in the past, but this is the first time he's seen a case in which someone put a potentially dangerous animal underneath their clothes. It also seemed to be more intentional than other cases.
"If you look at the theft of stuff from pet stores, a lot of times it's someone wandering in drunk and doing something stupid," he said. "This one's a little bit different, although putting a snake down your pants is not super bright. There's a lot of different ways that could go wrong."
