The case against Michael Kennedy, whose 8-foot-long king cobra snake escaped from his Orange County home, prompting a monthlong search in 2015, could be headed to trial soon.
- Michael Kennedy is facing 3 misdemeanor charges
- 1 charge is failing to immediately report missing venomous snake
- If found guilty, the 'Airplane Repo' star could face a year in jail
- RELATED story: Suppression ruling overturned in Orange County king cobra owner case
A pretrial conference was held Thursday morning at the Orange County Courthouse. Kennedy's lawyer, Fleet Tilden, appeared before Judge Brian Duckworth. Kennedy did not attend.
Duckworth was supposed to review a motion filed by Kennedy’s lawyer that would exclude all statements Kennedy made to any law enforcement officer. However, the judge decided to review the motion in March.
"I am anxious for him to take the stand, because he has a story to tell, and I think the jury will be very sympathetic to him,” Tilden said. The attorney said a trial date has been set for Wednesday, March 15, at the courthouse.
Kennedy — a cast member of the Discovery Channel show "Airplane Repo" and a self-proclaimed exotic animal dealer — faces three misdemeanors that include failing to immediately report to state wildlife officials that his venomous snake went missing. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The snake escaped from its enclosure from Kennedy's property on North Apopka Vineland Road sometime before Sept. 1, 2015. Kennedy did notify state wildlife officials that his king cobra, named Elvis, was missing, but wildlife officials said he notified them about 26 hours later.
The snake was found in a neighbor's garage about four weeks later after a massive search effort. No one was injured.
If he is found guilty, he could spend a year in jail and pay a $1,000 fine.