http://www.rutlandherald.com/News/Story/73777.html
A West Rutland man has landed in hot water for allegedly keeping a rare find on ice, the Rutland (Vt.) Herald reports.
Timothy Duprey, 40, pleaded innocent Monday in Rutland District Court to possession of a species protected under the state’s Endangered Species Act.
He allegedly kept in his freezer a timber rattlesnake he found dead on the side of the road in August.
“Most people aren’t even aware we have them in Vermont,” state Game Warden Robert Sterling said of the timber rattlesnake in an interview Monday. “They’re not on the federal Endangered Species Act, but they are protected under the Vermont Endangered Species Act.”
If convicted, Duprey faces a fine of nearly $600 and losing his right to hunt and fish for three years in Vermont.