Fangs but No Rattles : Son Jailed for ‘Gift’ of Snake to Mother
Marvin Howard Pruitt II of Ramona is being held in County Jail without bail on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly delivered a package containing a rattlesnake to his mother Monday evening, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Detective Victor Caloca said Pruitt’s mother, Bernice Eldridge, 52, became suspicious when her son, who recently moved to Ramona after living in Tennessee, dropped off a cardboard box in her driveway and yelled: “Hey, Mom! Here’s the photos!”
“She had not asked for any photos,” Caloca said, “so she called the Sheriff’s Department.”
A deputy used his night stick to open the box and found a rattlesnake concealed in tissue paper. A rock had been placed inside to weigh down the parcel and the snake’s rattle had been cut off to render it silent.
The snake was removed by the Ramona Fire Department and taken to the San Diego Zoo, Caloca said. Zoo officials examined the reptile and found its fangs and venom sacs were intact.
“We are looking at two other suspects, one of whom was seen in the car with Pruitt during the Monday delivery,” Caloca said.
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