Invasion of the Rat Snakes I - Press Item

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Posted by Wes von Papine�u on June 14, 2000 at 20:08:36:

THE RECORD (Bergen, NJ) 14 June 00 Snake slithers up corporate ladder at security firm (Paulo Lima)
Teaneck: Some might say a snake should feel right at home in a corporate executive lounge.
But police were trying to figure out how a 3 1/2-foot rat snake slid all the way up the corporate ladder to the seventh-floor executive lounge of a Glenpointe office building.
Company officials told police they had laid off several employees in recent weeks, so detectives were reviewing the list to determine whether any of them might have been involved, said Police Lt. Robert Wilson.
"There's no clear indication that this was a retaliation at this point," Wilson said, "but I don't think the snake got there on its own."
Police were called at 6:48 p.m. Monday to SynData Technologies, a software and Internet company based on the seventh floor of the office complex. An employee had captured the black snake in a garbage pail and called the building's security guards, who then contacted police, Wilson said.
More accustomed to dealing with two-legged trespassers, officers were taken aback by the slithering visitor.
"We didn't know what to do with it, really," Wilson said.
So officers put the snake into a box and drove it to Kazimir's Pet Shop in Hackensack.
Owner Robert Kazimir said the officers gave their quarry a wide berth when they brought it to his store Monday night.
"It was starting to come out of the box, so they sort of set it down very quickly in my driveway," Kazimir said. "I saw they were in trouble, so I ran out to help them.
"I think the most fun part of this was seeing the officers jump when he came out of the box."
The non-poisonous snake wheeled and struck, biting Kazimir on the hand as he scooped it up.
Rat snakes are constrictors that can grow as long as 5 feet. They feed mostly on small rodents and usually shy away from humans.
Kazimir said the snake appears to be about 5 years old. It was probably wild and had been captured only recently, he said, since pets of that species ordinarily are not aggressive.
Native to New Jersey and much of the eastern United States, black rat snakes are protected by the state. It is illegal to sell them, except those bred in captivity, Kazimir said.
Kazimir said officers asked him to keep the snake while they investigate the case. After that, he plans to release it in the wild, perhaps in the Meadowlands.
SynData's president and CEO, A. David Romanoff, declined to comment Tuesday on the discovery.
Founded in 1995, the privately held company also has offices in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Texas, according to its Web site.
The company specializes in providing computer security to its clients. Its Web site promises "easy-to-use, transparent, and manageable security solutions for the enterprise."

Snake slithers up corporate ladder at security firm

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: THE RECORD (Bergen, NJ) 14 June 00 Snake slithers up corporate ladder at security firm (Paulo Lima) : Teaneck: Some might say a snake should feel right at home in a corporate executive lounge. : But police were trying to figure out how a 3 1/2-foot rat snake slid all the way up the corporate ladder to the seventh-floor executive lounge of a Glenpointe office building. : Company officials told police they had laid off several employees in recent weeks, so detectives were reviewing the list to determine whether any of them might have been involved, said Police Lt. Robert Wilson. : "There's no clear indication that this was a retaliation at this point," Wilson said, "but I don't think the snake got there on its own." : Police were called at 6:48 p.m. Monday to SynData Technologies, a software and Internet company based on the seventh floor of the office complex. An employee had captured the black snake in a garbage pail and called the building's security guards, who then contacted police, Wilson said. : More accustomed to dealing with two-legged trespassers, officers were taken aback by the slithering visitor. : "We didn't know what to do with it, really," Wilson said. : So officers put the snake into a box and drove it to Kazimir's Pet Shop in Hackensack. : Owner Robert Kazimir said the officers gave their quarry a wide berth when they brought it to his store Monday night. : "It was starting to come out of the box, so they sort of set it down very quickly in my driveway," Kazimir said. "I saw they were in trouble, so I ran out to help them. : "I think the most fun part of this was seeing the officers jump when he came out of the box." : The non-poisonous snake wheeled and struck, biting Kazimir on the hand as he scooped it up. : Rat snakes are constrictors that can grow as long as 5 feet. They feed mostly on small rodents and usually shy away from humans. : Kazimir said the snake appears to be about 5 years old. It was probably wild and had been captured only recently, he said, since pets of that species ordinarily are not aggressive. : Native to New Jersey and much of the eastern United States, black rat snakes are protected by the state. It is illegal to sell them, except those bred in captivity, Kazimir said. : Kazimir said officers asked him to keep the snake while they investigate the case. After that, he plans to release it in the wild, perhaps in the Meadowlands. : SynData's president and CEO, A. David Romanoff, declined to comment Tuesday on the discovery. : Founded in 1995, the privately held company also has offices in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Texas, according to its Web site. : The company specializes in providing computer security to its clients. Its Web site promises "easy-to-use, transparent, and manageable security solutions for the enterprise." : :

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