By Bailey Elise McBride

A number of reptiles, including an alligator, a Western diamond-back rattlesnake and six pythons, were confiscated by the UA Police Department in a room in Maple Hill West residence hall Dec. 3, resulting in a fine from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, police officials said.

Jacob Miller, 18, of Marion, Ark., and Michael Robbins, 18, of West Memphis, Ark., told police they were getting free reptiles off the Web site Craigslist and reselling them for profit.

The UAPD was called to Maple Hill West by Kristina Bethea, the coordinator for residence education, who said an anonymous phone call from a parent had suggested that the room held marijuana and reptiles. Officer Crandall Edwards of the UAPD responded to the case, and upon entering the room saw a gopher snake in plain view.

Upon further investigation in Miller’s room, officer Edwards discovered a diamondback rattlesnake, four white mice, two adult pythons, four baby pythons, a baby alligator and three chameleons.

“The alligator could have bitten someone, but he was only 10 inches long so it wouldn’t have done too much damage,” said Lt. Bill Ruby, an officer with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “The four-and-a-half foot Western Diamondback rattlesnake could have killed a person if he bit them and they didn’t immediately get anti-venom, though.”

“A few years back we had students bring bats to campus and release them in a guy’s room,” said Gary Crain, UAPD public information officer, “but, as far as I can remember, this is the first time anyone has collected animals to sell for profit.”

The secured reptiles were transported to the UAPD station, where they were kept until the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission could come in to take over the investigation. Both Miller and Robbins were issued citations from the Game and Fish Commission totaling $1,240 each.

“They each received a citation for possession of an American alligator because in the state of Arkansas you need proper documentation and permits to have an alligator,” Ruby said. “To get those permits, you would need to either be rehabilitating or using it for educational purposes, and they had no paperwork on the alligator or any permit that would allow them to possess it.

“For the rattlesnake, the two were issued citations for selling wildlife, which is illegal in the state of Arkansas,” Ruby said. “For example, if I was out hunting and shot a deer, I could not turn around and sell that deer.”

Rattlesnakes falls under the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s definition of wildlife, but the pythons and the gopher snake are considered exotic pets, so they could sell those, Ruby said.

“You can lose your hunting and fishing privileges for life if you are caught selling wildlife,” he added.

An official speaking on behalf of Randy Alexander, the director of University Housing, said Alexander really doesn’t know anything more than that the reptiles were found and removed from the residence hall and the student will be going through the judicial board system.

The rattlesnake that was confiscated was given to Steven Beaupre, of the UA biological sciences department, and the alligator was given to an educational exhibitor who had the proper permits to possess one.

“I’ve been working here 12 years now and I’ve written two or three other tickets for American alligators in Arkansas, but I’ve never written a citation for selling wildlife,” Ruby said.