MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The owner of the infamous missing Morgantown python has been charged by police.
Shane Stevens, 19, of Morgantown, was charged with “allowing an animal to run at large” by Morgantown police.
Police were notified Thursday, May 30 that the snake, believed to be 15-feet long and four inches in diameter, had escaped Stevens’ truck in the Sabraton area of Morgantown.
Stevens told police he as he was transporting the snake, it escaped its enclosure inside the truck. Stevens fled the truck with the snake still inside and it slithered into the woods. It was last seen on a hillside near Listravia Avenue. Police officers and volunteers searched the area, even deploying a drone in an effort to locate the snake. However, the serpent proved elusive and the official search was eventually abandoned.
Stevens was booked and paid his $100 bond.
Meanwhile, the snake remains at large. Anyone who encounters it is urged to call 911 immediately.