Ramona
Marvin Howard Pruitt II of Ramona pleaded innocent Thursday to charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly delivered a package containing a rattlesnake to his mother on Monday.
El Cajon Municipal Court Judge Larry Brainard set bail for Pruitt at $50,000 during the Thursday arraignment, said Linda Miller, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. Pruitt remains in County Jail.
The defendant reportedly dropped off a cardboard box containing a rattlesnake on his mother’s driveway in Ramona. She became suspicious and called the Sheriff’s Department.
A deputy used his night stick to open the box and discovered the snake, whose rattle had been cut off to render it silent, according to Detective Victor Caloca. The deputy killed the snake with his club.
The snake was taken to the San Diego Zoo, where officials said that its fangs and venom sacs were intact.
A preliminary hearing for Pruitt has been set for Aug. 21.
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