Police arrest snake thieves
Fairfax County Police have charged three suspects from Maryland with stealing reptiles from Petco stores in Annandale, Bailey’s Crossroads, and Groveton, the FCPD reported on Aug. 12.
On May 21, two suspects stole four pythons from the Petco at 6612 Richmond Highway, the FCPD reports. Similar reptile thefts took place on May 23 at the Petco at 5812 Leesburg Pike and May 25 at the store at 7424 Little River Turnpike.
The stolen reptiles are worth about $10,000 to $15,000, said Captain Richard Cash, an assistant commander of the FCPD’s Criminal Investigation Division. The ball pythons stolen from the Groveton Petco are worth $400 each. The suspects also stole bearded dragons, geckos, and milk snakes.
DeSean Bagley, 31, was arrested in Capitol Heights, Md., and charged with two counts of Petit Larceny, Felony Larceny with Intent to Sell, and Felony Mask in Public. He is being held at the Prince George’s County Central Detention Facility while awaiting extradition back to Fairfax County.
Xavier Igo, 21, was not present when police showed up with a search warrant. Detectives arranged for Igo to turn himself in at the Mason District Station on Aug. 8. He was arrested and transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he was charged with Petit Larceny. He was later released on an unsecured $1,000 bond.
Detectives also obtained warrants for an adult female for two counts of Petit Larceny, two counts of misdemeanors for Concealment of Goods and Felony Larceny with Intent to Sell.
Working in pairs, Cash said, the suspects disconnected the locking mechanism on the reptile habitats in the stores, placed the animals in bags, and fled. At the Groveton Petco, the thefts happened at about 7 p.m., while customers and staff were present. “They were in and out of the stores fairly quickly,” he said.
Cash said police recovered about 20 reptiles. “We believe we recovered all the ones missing from Fairfax County.”
“What their intention was, we’re not quite sure,” he said. Police suspect they might have been hoping to sell the animals to traveling reptile expo shows.
The same suspects have also been linked to recent reptile thefts in Prince George’s, Charles, and Baltimore counties in Maryland, Cash said. The individuals arrested have criminal histories, including larcenies, but no previous connection with reptile thefts.