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A highly-venomous snake escaped from a cage in a house in Texas in August. But as of Monday, the 6-foot long West African banded cobra still hasn't been located.
According to an affidavit obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the cage was homemade and was made of wood and sliding plexiglass and had no locks. The female snake, which was in the cage with a male West African banded cobra, escaped on August 3.
The owner, Lawrence Thomas Matl III of Grand Prairie was arrested February 11. He's facing a misdemeanor charge of release from captivity — "a person may not intentionally, recklessly or with criminal negligence release or allow the release from a captivity of a venomous snake," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Matl told police he bought the two cobra snakes two weeks before they escaped. On the day of the escape, Matl said he left the room for about 15 minutes after feeding them and the female snake escaped. He told authorities he knew he closed the sliding plexiglass door.
Matl also had a pit viper in his home. Grand Prairie authorities removed the snakes from his home because a city ordinance doesn't allow residents to own wildlife in the city, according to he Fort Worth Star-Telegram.