Protecting animals and working with our community to prevent cruelty is what our dedicated field services team does day in and day out, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We believe that every animal matters—regardless of breed, size, age, or any other factor. Recently, one case surrounding one small reptile proved just that.  

In December, our Animal Care & Control Officers were assisting Metropolitan Police Department Officers with a search warrant at the home of Darnell Jones, 34, in Washington, DC, when they came across a snake. The snake was extremely underweight and appeared to be having difficulty shedding her skin which is indicative of significant husbandry and care issues. The subsequent investigation by Humane Law Enforcement Officer Michael Triebwasser revealed that the snake had been underweight for seven months and had never at any point during that time been taken to a veterinarian for proper care.

The following information was sent to us by Marcia Murphy:

Chief U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow sentenced Coretz Maurice Mallory, age 26, of Clinton, Maryland, today to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for bank robbery and attempted bank larceny in connection with the attempted theft of an ATM machine.  Judge Chasanow also ordered Cortez to pay restitution of $108,000 and to forfeit a 2004 BMW.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and  Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department.