Grand Prairie man sentenced to probation for cobra that went missing in 2021

Lawrence Matl
Lawrence Matl Photo credit Grand Prairie Police Department

A venomous snake may still be missing in Grand Prairie and the owner has finally learned his fate for letting it get loose.

Court records show that 23-year-old Lawrence Matl of Grand Prairie was sentenced to 15 months probabtion. As part of his sentence he can no longer own snakes or other reptiles, and if he violates the terms he could be sent to jail for 6 months.

Matl has also been ordered to pay a nearly $1,000 fine.

Matl was arrested in on a warrant for violating Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 43.853, Release from Captivity, a Class A Misdemeanor, when a West African Banded Cobra got out of its enclosure and went missing from his home in 2021.

Matl did have a legal permit to own the snake but violated that permit when it got loose. Matl told police it escaped from it's enclosure which investigators learned was unsecured.

The snake is extremely dangerous, in fact local hospitals took precautions to treat this type of snakebite in case the cobra bit someone.

News of the missing snake made national headlines following a search by Animal Services, the owner, and a venomous snake apprehension professional. To this day, the snake has still not been found and is considered to be very dangerous.

A parody Twitter and Facebook account was also created for the snake.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Grand Prairie Police Department