Staff Report

BOARDMAN — A Youngstown man accused of stealing a $700 snake from a pet store in Boardman has been charged with theft.

Robert Phillips, 29, of Silliman Street, who was arrested Tuesday at the Newport Library in Youngstown on a warrant, scheduled to be arraigned April 6 in Mahoning County Area Court No. 2 in Boardman.

According to a police report, around 2 p.m. Feb. 20 a man walked into Harbor Pet Center and asked employees about purchasing a $3,000 snake. He filled out the paperwork for the financing and a woman co-signed for him.

The man was denied financing, but bought $50 worth of merchandise, the report states.

While employees were closing up the night, they noticed a Mojave Clown Ball Python valued at $700 was missing from its enclosure. The owner of the store looked at the video cameras and told police he saw the man tampering with the snake enclosures, the report states.

The owner told police he saw the man take the python from its enclosure and conceal it. The owner called the number the man provided on his financing paperwork, but he hung up after the owner said who he was, the report states. The owner also called the co-signer, who said she would talk to the man about returning the snake.

The next day, the owner informed the police about the theft.

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