South Dakota man gets $190 fine for snake without leash

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- A man who was fined for allowing his pet snake to slither freely in a South Dakota park said an animal-control officer suggested he use a leash to restrain the reptile.

Jerry Kimball said he initially thought the recommendation was a joke because it was April Fool's Day when he was fined $190 and ticketed for "animals running at large," reported the Argus Leader newspaper.

"He was literally asking me to put a rope around my snake," Kimball said. "I was like, 'Dude, no.' I was dumbfounded."

Kimball was approached by the officer after a woman complained his fire bee ball python was roaming freely at Falls Park in Sioux Falls.

Animal control supervisor Julie DeJong said a city ordinance requires all pets to be leashed or restrained in public. She said pet snakes can be held or kept in a container to comply.

"If it's in public and it's not on a leash, it's at large. The ordinance doesn't really distinguish between animals," she said.