Man leaves dead rattlesnake on Arizona police memorial
Jul 23, 2015, 7:48 PM
This undated photo provided by the Cottonwood Police Department shows Nathan Cody Cumiford. The Cottonwood man thought it would be funny to put a dead rattlesnake on a city police memorial but authorities were not amused and is facing a misdemeanor charge of criminal littering. Cumiford was arrested by Cottonwood police Monday, July 20, 2015, after they saw surveillance footage that showed him placing the reptile on a memorial statue honoring fallen officers. (Cottonwood Police Department via AP)
(Cottonwood Police Department via AP)
COTTONWOOD, Ariz. (AP) — A 23-year-old man thought it would be funny to put a dead rattlesnake on a northern Arizona police memorial, but authorities were not amused.
Nathan Cody Cumiford, of Cottonwood, was arrested Monday and faces a misdemeanor littering charge. He was released on his own recognizance.
Cottonwood police say surveillance video shows Cumiford placing the reptile on a statue honoring fallen officers.
Sgt. Tod Moore says when Cumiford was asked why he did it, he laughed and said it was meant to be a joke.
Cottonwood is about 100 miles north of Phoenix. Cumiford told police he killed the snake somewhere between the town and Tuzigoot National Monument, which is a few more miles north.
A phone listing for Cumiford was out of service and he couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday through a Facebook page.
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