Grand Prairie cobra owner sentenced to 15 months of supervision, banned from owning reptiles

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The Grand Prairie man who owned a venomous cobra that escaped his home in August 2021 and was never found has been sentenced to 15 months of community supervision.

Lawrence Matl was found guilty violating the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s "Release from Captivity" code, by a Dallas County grand jury, according to records.

The offense is a Class A misdemeanor.

Matl received his sentence on July 26, according to court documents.

The terms of the community supervision include that Matl is not allowed to own any snakes or reptiles as pets.

He also must pay $998 in restitution to the City of Grand Prairie.

Court records show Matl cobra kept the snake in a homemade cage without locks and had other venomous snakes inside his home.

According to Matl's arrest warrant, the homemade cage he kept his West African Banded Cobra in was made out of plywood and Plexi-glass, and did not have a lock.

The escape of the dangerous venomous snake from the home on Cherry Street sparked a firestorm of attention from the community.

The snake has never been found.