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Pastimes : The New Qualcomm - write what you like thread. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: marginmike who wrote (5823)	2/25/2003 11:58:42 PM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 12247

L.A. Cops Probe Mailing of Deadly Cobra February 25, 2003 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:04 p.m. ET LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A deadly cobra was delivered by mail to a man in an apparent bid to frighten or kill him, police said Tuesday. Police were working with federal postal officials to determine who sent the box and where it was mailed. The snake could have lived for several days in the box without food or water. Joseff Calhoun, 30, of the Winnetka area north of downtown, opened the taped box on Friday to find a 2-foot-long South African black-necked spitting cobra, police Detective Rick Swanston said. He closed the box without being attacked and called police. The cobra was turned over the to Los Angeles Zoo and killed on Tuesday, reptile curator Russ Smith said. ``It's a dangerous snake, and it was in a place where they really didn't have facilities for it,'' he said. In addition, the snake had a tumor or abscess on its face that would have required constant medical attention, he said. The snake's body was to be preserved as evidence. Possessing a venomous snake is illegal in California without a permit but other states lack such laws. Smith said the snake is relatively cheap and could have been bred or purchased elsewhere in the United States. The person who sent the snake could face attempted murder and other charges, Swanston said. Calhoun told police he didn't now why anyone would send the snake. He received a vague threatening letter in November but ``he has no suspects, no one that he's pointing us to,'' Swanston said. There was no note or letter inside the snake package. The cobra is a black, hooded snake that can spit venom as far as 9 feet. The venom can blind if it hits the eyes and kill if absorbed through a wound. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company.