RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh snake collector whose escaped zebra cobra caused a frenzy in June pleaded guilty to one charge in court Friday and will pay more than $13,000 in restitution.
Christopher Gifford, 21, pleaded guilty to failing to report the missing snake and was ordered to pay overtime costs for law enforcement officers and emergency workers who responded to the incident.
The remaining 39 charges related to his escaped cobra and other venomous reptiles were dropped. The singular charge will also be dismissed after a year if Gifford successfully completes his probation.
The snake was reported outside a house in northwest Raleigh, less than a half-mile from Gifford’s home on June 28. It set off a frenzy of law enforcement and media attention before being captured two days later.
Gifford was charged with failure to report the escaped snake, with his attorney confirming the snake had been missing since November, The News & Observer reported. Most of Gifford’s charges are for keeping venomous reptiles in improper closures.
His social media presence, including a TikTok account with more than 460,000 followers, showed Gifford handling snakes in his home and driveway. In addition to the zebra cobra, the collection included other cobras, rattlesnakes, vipers and a green mamba, which bit him in March.
The city of Raleigh is considering a wild and exotic animal ordinance that would ban the possession of venomous snakes, among other changes.
____
