17 rattlesnakes found in West Virginia man's home; he's accused of taking them from national forest

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RANDOLPH COUNTY, W.Va. — A West Virginia man is facing charges after officers with the state’s Natural Resources Police found 17 rattlesnakes inside his Randolph County home.

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The agency received a tip that someone was taking snakes from a national forest and transporting them to a home nearby.

When officers investigated, they discovered the snakes inside the home of the suspect, who has not been publicly identified.

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He's been charged with two counts of illegal possession of a timber rattlesnake and possession of a rattlesnake less than 42 inches, which is illegal in West Virginia, according to a post on the agency's social media page.

In West Virginia, it’s only legal to have one rattlesnake in a home, and it must be 42 inches or longer.

Wildlife officers returned the snakes to dens near where they were caught.