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October 8, 2008

Norman man charged in python theft from zoo

By Tom Blakey

The story of Merlin, the missing 12-foot albino Burmese python, has come to a happy ending with the snake's return to Little River Zoo -- just as Janet Sadler Schmid thought it would.

"That's the positive part of the story," Schmid said. "With the police working so hard and the community coming forth to help, it resulted in a lot of good energy and had to turn out in a positive way.

"It's really neat to know so many people care. It's sad for whoever took him, but positive from our perspective," she said.

Schmid, co-founder and director of the zoo, last week reported Merlin's disappearance -- for the second time in 10 days.

A Norman man, Cody Daniel Hawkins, 24, was charged Tuesday with several felonies in connection with the first theft.

In that incident, the snake and a giant tortoise went missing from the zoo Sept. 24. That afternoon, a young man and his girlfriend came to the zoo asking questions about the two animals that were missing -- such as their feeding habits.

Zoo workers delayed the pair and contacted police. Police followed the pair to their residence, where the python and tortoise were identified and recovered by zoo officials.

A couple of days later, Merlin went missing again, Schmid said. Someone came into the zoo and took him out of his enclosure sometime between 12:15 a.m. and 7 a.m. Friday, she said.

After several reports by the media concerning its disappearance, the snake was returned to the zoo sometime between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday.

Merlin was stuffed into a small nylon bag, tied up and dropped off at the zoo's front gate entrance, Schmid said. Someone saw the bag being placed by the gate and called zoo officials.

"Merlin was crammed into the bag like a sardine. We don't know if he's eaten anything -- he was pretty cold and stressed," she said. Since then, Merlin has warmed up, "looks fine and has no marks." Schmid expects he'll soon be back to his normal diet of dead rats at a certain temperature.

Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the thefts, attempting to determine who snatched Merlin, one of the zoo's most popular attractions.

Hawkins was charged with knowingly concealing stolen property; animal cruelty; and possession of a controlled dangerous drug.

The animal cruelty charge has to do with a kitten found in the cage with Merlin when police and zoo officials went to Hawkins' residence in the 5000 block of 108th Avenue Southeast following the Sept. 24 theft. Veterinarians tried to rescue the kitten, but it could not be saved, Schmid said.

The drug possession charge concerns drugs allegedly found in Hawkins' pocket during book-in procedures at the Cleveland County Detention Center.

Schmid and zoo workers are grateful for the return of Merlin, who has resided at Little River Zoo for "seven or eight years," Schmid said.

"How thankful we are he's back," she said. "One thing that has impressed me so much -- we've had so many people calling the zoo, worried about Merlin.

"I'm so glad to have him back. I was afraid they wouldn't take care of him and release him into the wild" where Merlin might freeze to death, she said.

"You can feel it around the zoo -- we feel so good because he's home," Schmid said.

Tom Blakey 366-3540 tblakey@normantranscript.com

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