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CHRIS TISCH and MEGAN SCOTTA homeless woman is charged with animal cruelty in the beating of an anaconda, which is later euthanized.
CLEARWATER - People on S Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue got a ringside seat to watch a battle between a woman and a snake Monday afternoon. They didn't like what they saw.
The woman kicked, stomped and at one point choked the approximately 7-foot anaconda. When onlookers told her to stop and approached her, the woman ran away, dragging the snake behind her.
Someone called the police.
Officers found and arrested Diane E. Giddings, 44, on an animal cruelty charge. Giddings, who is homeless, was being held at the Pinellas County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of $5,000 bail.
Police said the snake was gravely injured. The reptile was bleeding from its mouth and appeared lethargic. It was taken to a nearby veterinarian and euthanized Monday night, police Cpl. John Brown said.
It was unclear whether the reptile was a pet or whether it belonged to Giddings.
"She said it was hers and she wanted to kill it and didn't care if it died," police spokesman Wayne Shelor said. "And then she refused to speak to the officers any further."
The incident began just after 1 p.m. when bystanders in the 1400 block of S Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue saw Giddings pummeling the snake. She stomped its head into the concrete and choked it, arrest reports state. She also swung the snake into a concrete wall.
"Several people shouted at her, trying to get her to put the snake down and to leave the snake alone," Shelor said. "Their entreaties were ignored."
That's when Giddings took off running, dragging the snake behind her. She went behind a building, then dropped the anaconda and ran off. A police officer arrived. Bystanders put the snake in a box in the shade.
Officers later tracked down Giddings and found her sitting on the porch of a nearby residence. They discovered she had a warrant for missing a court hearing and took her into custody.