Snake Invasion Turns 'Dream House' Into Nightmare for Maryland Family, Lawyer Says
— -- This is one for the hissss-tory books.
One family in Maryland accidentally moved into a home where some unwanted visitors managed to slither in -- more than a dozen snakes -- turning their "dream house" into a nightmare, according to the family's lawyer and a lawsuit.
Jeff and Jody Brooks moved into their new house in Annapolis, Maryland in December, only to find out it was already a haven for more than a dozen black rat snakes, the family’s lawyer Matthew Evans told ABC News today.
One pest control company said the problem, which stemmed from the children's former play room, was so bad that the only option was to "burn the house down and let it sit for 15 years."
The family’s 4-year-old son found the first snake, a 7-foot long reptile, just months after they moved in. It was the first of many black rat snakes, nests and snake skins that the Brookses found in their "dream home," Evans said.
After finding three, the family packed up and moved out.
"We tried to brush it under the carpet with him and say that staying at my parent's house was a mini-vacation," Jody Brooks told ABC News.
"You don’t want to leave your kids alone anywhere in that house," she added. "It’s spooky.”
Some 13-15 snakes, ranging from 6 inches to 7 feet long, have been found since then, Evans said.
The family brought in a pest control company to gut the basement -– formerly the children's playroom -– and Evans said the company found snake tunnels throughout the insulation.
"As they pulled back the onion, it only got worse and worse,” Evans noted. “It’s so bad that the family was told the only way to guarantee the snakes leave is to burn down the home and let it sit for 15 years.”
After spending nearly $60,000 on pest control, the family brought on Evans to file a complaint against the seller, Joan Broseker, and her agent and daughter, Barbara Van Horn.
Evans said the $2 million lawsuit covers the $410,000 price of the home, the pest control and other related expenses as well as $1 million in punitive damages.
"I think that everybody’s sensationalizing this," Van Horn told ABC News.
Broseker did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request and the lawyer for the real estate agency, Barbara Palmer, declined comment.
“We were originally going to fix the problem,” Jody said. “Now we just want our money back and to start over. It’s emotionally exhausting and overwhelming.”
