Animal control officer fired after releasing video of Fair Lawn snake

Fair Lawn Animal Control Officer Rich DuBarton was fired Friday for posting a video on YouTube showing an albino cobra whose bite left a man close to death. Although Fair Lawn police issued the initial release, DuBarton fielded inquiries from local media after 25-year-old Eric Bortz was hospitalized.

Jerry DeMarco

02/04/2011 11:58 p.m.

PHOTO: Rich DuBarton

“I’m an animal control officer,” DuBarton told the Community News of Fair Lawn on Friday. “I’m supposed to educate the public. No one ever told me I wasn’t allowed to.”

(For the original story, CLICK HERE).

DuBarton, who served in the Marines, had been working the animal control job part-time. He’s also a certified police K-9 instructor.

The only words DuBarton speaks in the video are: “You can see it’s not very happy.”

However, some who saw the video said that’s because DuBarton appeared to be tormenting the snake, which was in a glass cage with a screen on top.

Questions arise over the ability of a public employee to disseminate what is public information.

Technically, the snake is evidence belonging to state authorities — specifically, the Division of Fish & Wildlife — who are investigating possible charges of not having proper permits, as well as any role the Pennsylvania seller of the snake, and two others, to Boltz may play.

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