Mail a T, go to jail....

[MizM]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=storyamp;u=/afp/us_tarantula_offbeat

PenneyW. sent this to me... would LOVE to hear the WHOLE story!!!
Ahhh, scroll down to the Don's reply... more info!

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i can't get the link to work :?

 

[TheDon]

link didnt work for me either but try this link
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030724/od_afp/us_tarantula_offbeat_030724194628

I searched for it and it is about mailing T's

peace

TheDon

This is what the article says

The Tampa Tribune said John Galarza, 37, of Apollo Beach, Florida, was charged with sending "a non-mailable matter" with intent to kill or injure. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to 250,000 dollars.


The paper did not say why Galarza sent the package nor whether his girlfriend received it.

 

[TheDon]

Here is another link with a little more info on the same thing

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ibsys/20030723/lo_wjxt/1710000

peace

TheDon

 

[abstract]

So how do you intentionally kill someone w/a tarantula? It would have to jump out of the container, and into his girlfriends throat for asphyxiation's (sp?) sake.

I don't think a bite is going to do much...

 

[TheDon]

The mail system is just full of ignorant fools who most likely think a bite from a T is deadly or something stupid like that. And no doubt the ignorant gov't will happily back them up on this.

peace

TheDon

 

[deifiler]

Hah!

My mail lady is always curious as to what's in the package she brings. She's actually quite fascinated by them and always asks about how the last one I got it is doing. Thankfully she says how she takes extra care to handle the packages, and delivers them before the rest of the round

 

[TheDon]

Its always nice to find that some people who dont keep T's are still very interested in them. You are lucky to have a mail carrier that is like this. I have found that alot of the people I have talked to about it have been very interestedin knowing more about them. I took a couple of my molts into work with me one day and I literally had a group of about 10 people standing around me asking questions about them. Everybody usually thinks it is a dead tarantula before I explain that the live tarantula is back home and that this is just the shed skin. And even more astounding to them is that they shed not only the skin but the lungs, stomach and fangs and a few other things. Something someone said to me was interesting to and even I would like to know the answer to is How do they grow new internals and still use the old ones and then automatically switch over. I hope I worded that right. Anyways I love talking to people about them and love even more when they start asking lots of questions and want to know more about them. Its good to know that even people who may be scared of spiders are still interested in learning more about them and learning that all the myths are untrue. Also another surprise was one day I was telling a guy from work that I was recieving a couple Tarantulas in the mail the next day and a guy sitting beside him said what kind and I told him and he told me that he had a tarantula for 15 years before it died in his care form old age. We sat and talked for 20 mins about it and everyone was very interested. Anyways now that I have written a novel.

peace

TheDon

 

[Cooper]

My mail lady is always curious as to what's in the package she brings. She's actually quite fascinated by them and always asks about how the last one I got it is doing. Thankfully she says how she takes extra care to handle the packages, and delivers them before the rest of the round

Lucky, the fedex guy who delivered my first package l;iterally threw it at me once he heard what was inside!!!

 

[LPacker79]

Lucky, the fedex guy who delivered my first package l;iterally threw it at me once he heard what was inside!!!

That's why you don't tell them what's inside. If they ask, I say glass ornaments.
As a USPS employee, this whole story strikes a nerve with me. I'll be the first to say that the postal service does some stupid things, but this is just beyond ignorant.

 

[Cooper]

So does this mean that we cant sell or trade anymore? (shakes) Im scared!!!

 

[Botar]

You guys are blowing this way out of proportion. The key word is "intent". He obviously sent a spider with medically significant venom to this woman with the INTENT to harm her. Although sending tarantulas through the mail may not be legal, you won't be getting 20 years for it.

With almost every criminal statute (see ALMOST before compiling a multitude of exceptions) there must be INTENT involved. It's called "mens rea". That is why when you crash your car into your neighbors house on accident (and you weren't already committing a crime) you aren't charged. However, if you're pissed at your neighbor and you ram his house with an SUV, you're up a creek without a paddle.

This is just some moron who tried to fumble his way into a murder case. For me the question is whether or not he used overnight service and if the spider arrived alive and well.

Botar

 

[ines68]

This article explain the news better:

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/07/25/Tampabay/Tarantula_in_the_mail.shtml

 

[Botar]

Thanks Ines. I stand corrected on the medically significant part, but the matter of intent still stands. His intention was to terrorize her, not to deliver a spider to her that she wanted and had purchased. I have a bit of a problem with the "ability" test on this case though. It would be my understanding that the spider sent would have to have the ability to cause harm. I guess you could assume that a bite, whether medically significant or not, could be considered harmful. I think it's a stretch though. Just because she is scared of them is no reason for the charge to stand. Otherwise he could face the same charges for sending her a rubber spider.

Botar

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Botar
Just because she is scared of them is no reason for the charge to stand. Otherwise he could face the same charges for sending her a rubber spider.

This is definitely going to be a case of 'my lawyer can beat up your lawyer' as to who wins.

Intent or not, the rubber spider analogy is dead on. If I try to kill you by spraying salt water on you because I've become convinced it's deadly poison, I'd hope nobody could actually convict me of attempted murder based solely on intent. Unfortunatley, we're talking spiders, so who knows?

 

[abstract]

Originally posted by Botar
For me the question is whether or not he used overnight service and if the spider arrived alive and well.
Botar [/B]

Now that's just hilarious.

 

[Cooper]

If you read the link that ines put up you will see that it arrived well but died the next day

 

[MizM]

Well, that's our society in the new millenium. My, my, haven't we come far?

Funny, in California, if you have AIDS and spit on someone, you can be charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Thank goodness this was an isolated case, and let's just hope it doesn't get TOO much press. We KNOW the press will not report the true facts. I would think it would have been a g. rosea since they are supposedly the most easily obtained, but the press will turn it into a "deadly spider mailed to woman" story. Look at the end.... death from bites is exceedingly rare? No human has EVER died from a tarantula bite!

 

[Psycho]

Originally posted by LPacker79
That's why you don't tell them what's inside. If they ask, I say glass ornaments.

--- wouldn't work for my shipped packages, they're marked parishable... unless it's edable glass??

either way that guy was just plain retarded.

~~~Psycho~~~

 

[ines68]

Originally posted by MizM
No human has EVER died from a tarantula bite!

Sorry, this is maybe a stupid question... this apply to the old world tarantulas too?