PRess Item: Police charge Lynn man in snake theft

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ]

Posted by Desiree on July 11, 2001 at 10:51:45:

Police charge Lynn man in snake theft

By JULIE KIRKWOOD

News staff

PEABODY -- Police yesterday arrested a man they believe twice broke into a pet zoo on Route 1 and stole numerous lizards and snakes.

Theodore Gardner, 28, of 12 Castle Rising Court, Lynn, was arraigned yesterday in Peabody District Court on several counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime to commit a felony, malicious destruction of property, larceny and receiving stolen property. Judge Robert Hayes set bail at $1,500 and scheduled the next hearing for Aug. 2.

Gardner started working at the pet zoo about three weeks before the first burglary, and left a few weeks before the second, when both he and the zoo owners agreed the job wasn't working out. Owners Dean and Suzanne Kosch say, in retrospect, some of his behavior at the zoo was strange.

"He really didn't fit in," Suzanne says. "He didn't talk to anyone."

Suzanne remembers he used to hang out by the Dumpster in the parking lot. He told her it was because he wanted to stay out of the sun. Now she suspects he was smuggling animals out of the building into the Dumpster, then sneaking them into his car at the end of the day.

The Kosches knew five lizards and two snakes were stolen during the April 30 and June 30 break-ins at Curious Creatures Kidzoo.

They didn't notice the thefts in between.

Starting shortly after the April 30 break-in, the Kosches started to find little lizards and snakes missing from their cages. They thought the animals were escaping, and didn't know why. They told the staff to be more careful about closing the cages, but it bothered them that it kept happening.

One time, Suzanne remembers, a ball python disappeared from the zoo's hospital room. Not long afterward, Gardner miraculously found a dead snake in the wall and suggested the ball python may have escaped and died the same way.

The problem was, the dead snake never belonged to the zoo. Gardner insisted it had. But Suzanne and Dean know their animals well and say they had never seen it before.

They think now that he was trying to distract attention away from the possibility the animals were stolen.

Pet detectives

Still, Gardner was not an obvious suspect in the thefts. Peabody Detectives Thomas O'Keefe, Brian Wynne and Detective Sgt. Charles Randall started from scratch last week investigating the crime and tracking down the stolen animals.

A driver's license left in the zoo parking lot after the second break-in turned out to be a false lead. It belonged to a young man from Revere who had an alibi for that night.

The detectives figured the crime must have been committed by somebody with intimate knowledge of which snakes and lizards are safe to handle, the floor plan of the building, the security system and employees' work schedules.

They got a list of all current and former employees and started doing interviews. They might not have found the animals so quickly if Gardner hadn't cooperated when they knocked on his door.

Gardner keeps several of his own snakes in his two-bedroom apartment. When police asked to see them, he obliged. The detectives asked if he had any other animals, and he said he didn't.

Then one detective noticed a pale yellow snake in an uncovered box on a windowsill. The detectives had studied pictures of the missing animals and knew their identifying marks. This was definitely Sunshine, the 9-foot albino python stolen a week ago.

Then the detectives opened a box on the floor and found the Kosches' orange iguana, Red. That's when they called the zoo owners to come identify their pets.

"Pretty soon it was like Christmas," Suzanne says. Every box the Kosches opened contained a lizard or snake they were missing. Many of them were barely clinging to life.

They left the apartment with about 15 animals, 13 they believe are theirs and two baby ball pythons that were so sick they needed immediate care.

The Kosches also found other things in Gardner's apartment allegedly stolen from their zoo, including books, heat lamps, light bulbs, iguana food, pet containers and even rags.

They also found several disposable cameras that were missing from their gift shop. Suzanne developed the film in one and found photos of Gardner with their lizards on his shoulders and head.

The Kosches said they were disturbed to see knives and what appeared to be Satanic books in the apartment near the animals.

Putting it together

Gardner told police Saturday he didn't know the animals in his apartment were stolen, according to Detective Sgt. Dennis Bonaiuto. He said he was pet sitting for a friend.

Later that night, however, he came to the Peabody police station to confess he knew the animals were stolen, but he was not the one who stole them. He gave police names of people involved and leads to follow.

The detectives investigated his leads over the weekend and by yesterday morning knew all of them were false. They called him back into the station.

That's when, according to police, Gardner confessed to breaking into the zoo on both occasions and to stealing the animals.

Prosecutor Sherry Smith read the police report in court yesterday, including the confession. Gardner's court-appointed lawyer, John Lalikos, did not dispute it.

The only things he said in Gardner's defense were that Gardner was not selling the stolen animals for profit, and that he may have thought he was rescuing them from the zoo.

"He did express concern for the animals' welfare as a motive," Lalikos told the judge.

Gardner, wearing a white T-shirt, was attentive during the proceeding, but didn't speak.

The zoo owners are still worried about the animals they didn't find at Gardner's apartment. But they're relieved to know the theft was an inside job and not an attack by strangers. "It makes us feel a lot more secure," Suzanne says.

The detectives were glad to return the pets to their owners, even if it means they have to endure jokes about being pet detectives and snake charmers.

"They've just been working continuously," Bonaiuto says. "The officers were very happy that they were able to reunite the owners with the animals."

Police charge Lynn man in snake theft (PIC)

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: Police charge Lynn man in snake theft : By JULIE KIRKWOOD : News staff : PEABODY -- Police yesterday arrested a man they believe twice broke into a pet zoo on Route 1 and stole numerous lizards and snakes. : Theodore Gardner, 28, of 12 Castle Rising Court, Lynn, was arraigned yesterday in Peabody District Court on several counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime to commit a felony, malicious destruction of property, larceny and receiving stolen property. Judge Robert Hayes set bail at $1,500 and scheduled the next hearing for Aug. 2. : Gardner started working at the pet zoo about three weeks before the first burglary, and left a few weeks before the second, when both he and the zoo owners agreed the job wasn't working out. Owners Dean and Suzanne Kosch say, in retrospect, some of his behavior at the zoo was strange. : "He really didn't fit in," Suzanne says. "He didn't talk to anyone." : Suzanne remembers he used to hang out by the Dumpster in the parking lot. He told her it was because he wanted to stay out of the sun. Now she suspects he was smuggling animals out of the building into the Dumpster, then sneaking them into his car at the end of the day. : The Kosches knew five lizards and two snakes were stolen during the April 30 and June 30 break-ins at Curious Creatures Kidzoo. : They didn't notice the thefts in between. : Starting shortly after the April 30 break-in, the Kosches started to find little lizards and snakes missing from their cages. They thought the animals were escaping, and didn't know why. They told the staff to be more careful about closing the cages, but it bothered them that it kept happening. : One time, Suzanne remembers, a ball python disappeared from the zoo's hospital room. Not long afterward, Gardner miraculously found a dead snake in the wall and suggested the ball python may have escaped and died the same way. : The problem was, the dead snake never belonged to the zoo. Gardner insisted it had. But Suzanne and Dean know their animals well and say they had never seen it before. : They think now that he was trying to distract attention away from the possibility the animals were stolen. : Pet detectives : Still, Gardner was not an obvious suspect in the thefts. Peabody Detectives Thomas O'Keefe, Brian Wynne and Detective Sgt. Charles Randall started from scratch last week investigating the crime and tracking down the stolen animals. : A driver's license left in the zoo parking lot after the second break-in turned out to be a false lead. It belonged to a young man from Revere who had an alibi for that night. : The detectives figured the crime must have been committed by somebody with intimate knowledge of which snakes and lizards are safe to handle, the floor plan of the building, the security system and employees' work schedules. : They got a list of all current and former employees and started doing interviews. They might not have found the animals so quickly if Gardner hadn't cooperated when they knocked on his door. : Gardner keeps several of his own snakes in his two-bedroom apartment. When police asked to see them, he obliged. The detectives asked if he had any other animals, and he said he didn't. : Then one detective noticed a pale yellow snake in an uncovered box on a windowsill. The detectives had studied pictures of the missing animals and knew their identifying marks. This was definitely Sunshine, the 9-foot albino python stolen a week ago. : Then the detectives opened a box on the floor and found the Kosches' orange iguana, Red. That's when they called the zoo owners to come identify their pets. : "Pretty soon it was like Christmas," Suzanne says. Every box the Kosches opened contained a lizard or snake they were missing. Many of them were barely clinging to life. : They left the apartment with about 15 animals, 13 they believe are theirs and two baby ball pythons that were so sick they needed immediate care. : The Kosches also found other things in Gardner's apartment allegedly stolen from their zoo, including books, heat lamps, light bulbs, iguana food, pet containers and even rags. : They also found several disposable cameras that were missing from their gift shop. Suzanne developed the film in one and found photos of Gardner with their lizards on his shoulders and head. : The Kosches said they were disturbed to see knives and what appeared to be Satanic books in the apartment near the animals. : Putting it together : Gardner told police Saturday he didn't know the animals in his apartment were stolen, according to Detective Sgt. Dennis Bonaiuto. He said he was pet sitting for a friend. : Later that night, however, he came to the Peabody police station to confess he knew the animals were stolen, but he was not the one who stole them. He gave police names of people involved and leads to follow. : The detectives investigated his leads over the weekend and by yesterday morning knew all of them were false. They called him back into the station. : That's when, according to police, Gardner confessed to breaking into the zoo on both occasions and to stealing the animals. : Prosecutor Sherry Smith read the police report in court yesterday, including the confession. Gardner's court-appointed lawyer, John Lalikos, did not dispute it. : The only things he said in Gardner's defense were that Gardner was not selling the stolen animals for profit, and that he may have thought he was rescuing them from the zoo. : "He did express concern for the animals' welfare as a motive," Lalikos told the judge. : Gardner, wearing a white T-shirt, was attentive during the proceeding, but didn't speak. : The zoo owners are still worried about the animals they didn't find at Gardner's apartment. But they're relieved to know the theft was an inside job and not an attack by strangers. "It makes us feel a lot more secure," Suzanne says. : The detectives were glad to return the pets to their owners, even if it means they have to endure jokes about being pet detectives and snake charmers. : "They've just been working continuously," Bonaiuto says. "The officers were very happy that they were able to reunite the owners with the animals."

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ]