Python for the prosecution
Slithering court exhibit aids in prosecutor's case
By Tony Rizzo
The Kansas City Star
All lawyer jokes aside, when Bud the Burmese python went to court Monday, he may have been the biggest snake to ever slither across a Johnson County courtroom.
Weight: 62 pounds
Length: 11 or 12 feet - it's hard to convince him to stretch out for a measurement.
But was this really Bud, as the prosecution argued? The same Bud that was stolen from Shawnee Mission South High School last September?
Or was this another 11-foot Burmese python from Overland Park, as the defense contended?
No, this was Bud.
At least the judge found probable cause to think it was Bud and ordered a 24-year-old Overland Park man to stand trial for the theft.
"Obviously snakes don't have name tags attached or serial numbers," said Judge Gerald Hougland after viewing state exhibit No. 3, also known as Bud.
Hougland scheduled (name withheld) to be arraigned on felony charges of theft and burglary Feb. 10.
Bud, along with several other valuable snakes, lizards, and iguanas, was stolen Sept. 9 from the Shawnee Mission Environmental Science Lab at Shawnee Mission South.
Acting on a tip, police Oct. 2 searched a house in the 9700 block of Hadley Street that (name withheld) rented.
Among the animals found there were Bud, two ball pythons, an iguana and a boa constrictor.
A rare South American tegu lizard and two king snakes stolen from the school have yet to be found. Bud and the tegu were the most valuable animals in the school's collection, said Dean Jernigan, director of the lab.
He said Bud was worth between $600 and $800.
(Name withheld) told police all the animals found in the house belonged to him and had been purchased in California, according to police testimony Monday.
But Jernigan testified Monday that he was positive the Burmese python at the house was indeed Bud.
"I recognized him as soon as I saw him," said Jernigan, who accompanied police to the house.
Although he said he wasn't as positive in identifying the other animals, Jernigan said they were like the ones taken from the school.
Jernigan testified he has known Bud since he was purchased for the school about 11 years ago. Bud is often featured in educational displays and activities for children.
"He is actually quite a nice animal, a docile animal," Jernigan said.
Bud proved it Monday, even after being brought to the courthouse in a plastic trash can. With help from Assistant District Attorney Trey Pettlon, Jernigan eased Bud out of the trash can onto the courtroom store.
As spectators stood and strained for a better view, Bud moved slowly across the carpet as Jernigan described the features on Bud's swirling, spotted hide that he considered unique.
He pointed out several spot patterns on the snake that are identical to spot patterns in photographs of Bud taken before the theft.
Bud also has a unique scar near his tail where he was burned several years ago in a accident with a heat lamp.
Defense attorney Nance Orrick pointed out that Jernigan is not a specialist in reptile study and questioned him about the possibility that more than one Burmese python could have the same type of spot patterns.
Before the hearing Monday, (name withheld) was charged only with theft, but after presenting evidence Pettlon asked that he also be bound over for trial on the burglary charge. Hougland complied.
**The Kansas City Star - Tuesday, February 2, 1993**
