July 24th, 2015 by WCBC Radio
The raid of a home and pet store by Maryland Natural Resources Police officers on Thursday resulted in the seizure of three venomous snakes and a dozen other snakes, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Police had a search warrant based on a tip, DNR officials said. Police removed a West African spitting cobra, a monocled cobra and a timber rattlesnake—each about three feet in length—from a home in Cresaptown. At Daddieo’s Pet Store in Cumberland, officers found a dozen corn snakes, according to the DNR. No charges have been filed, but the case has been turned over to the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office. The pet shop, at 12512 Naves Cross Road, and the home on Winchester Road are owned by John Paul Stosick III, 47, of Cresaptown, police said. Maryland law makes it illegal to possess cobras and rattlesnakes. The pet shop was selling the corn snakes without a permit and it had no certificates of origin for them, according to the DNR. The snakes were taken to Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo. Before the move to Cumberland, the pet store had been located at 60 W. Main Street in K