I have known the infamous Cobra for some time, we first met in the early days of the Haleigh Cummings case. People have tried to trample Cobra, but this is a guy that you just can not keep down. There are people that want to ruin his life, but Cobra is a resilient guy. I had not heard from him in a few days, so I decided it was time to see what was new.
Needless to say, Mr C had a great story. Who needs CNN when you access to people like this?
No one can keep this guy down!
Our conversation started on the long and tedious task he faces in getting his Bounty Hunter (bail bond) credentials back following the problem he created by temporarily handcuffing a man (and I use that term very loosely) who stands accused of the rape of a nine year old child. How, or why this paedophile is out on bond defies any logic that I have encountered in my 54 years being alive. Even the current administration admits that the is no way this man should be out! In my mind he should have already gone to trial, and if found guilty Snoddy should not be a burden on the tax payer, he should be dead!
The reason that I had not heard from Cobra in the past few days was because he was on a hunt. Stripped of his ability to hunt for human flesh he took up the search for missing Iguanas.
These were not your run of the mill pet store lizards but two 5 feet long Iguanas belonging to Susanne Kynast who runs a reptile sanctuary at Banana Bay, Florida. So worried was Susanne that she offered a $2,000 reward. When that did not work she she took the unusual step of employing a professional investigator, William Cobra Staubs.
I am happy to report that Cobra did in fact locate the two Iguanas 16-year-old Iggy and 10-year-old Lenny in Ft Meyers.
I have to admit that I was rolling on the floor laughing as Cobra retold the trip to return the missing Iguanas. He openly admits that lizards are not his strong suit. It was apparent that the two Iguanas were pets, they made no attempt to decapitate him with their lethal tails. This is an area that I am very familiar with, several years ago I became the proud owner of the Iguana from hell, two and a half feet of pure evil! Feeding time became a battle of wits, the damn critter would be watching me as I approached his feeding bowl, his timing was precise, just as my hand touched the bowl THWACK!
Cobra managed to wrangle the critters into his truck, but had no containment devices so they were free to roam around on the 400 mile journey home. One took up residence on the back seat and did what Iguanas do best, fell asleep. The other, no doubt wishing to bask in the suns rays laid claim to the top of the dashboard. While not the ideal spot from a safety standpoint, in fact I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Florida Drives Ed program discourages lizards being transported in this fashion, Cobra decided that it was better just to leave the beast there. His reasoning was a good one, more lizard wrangling might annoy it, and the last thing in the world you want is a grumpy 5 foot Iguana whopping you while you are driving!
Things went well for the first half of the journey. Then there was a bad moment:
There I am driving along at 70 miles an hour. The damn lizard decides to move, it came right over the steering wheel and onto my lap. I nearly ran off the road!
The Lizards are now back with their owner, and she is very grateful for the help that Cobra Staubs offered.
Simon Barrett
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35 users commented in " Stolen Lizards? Call Pet Detective William Cobra Staubs "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWell good ole Cobra must have adopted my saying when I had a janitorial service, no job to big or small , I, do um all.
I didn’t realize Cobra couldn’t do his job. I thought he just couldn’t work in the county he was arrested in.
Thanks for the story. I, can picture him out scurrying about to catch those things.
I appreciate Cobra Staubs! Tell him to please, please come back, please!
This is not a slam against him in any way, but he has enough practice finding lizards-Case in point-Satsuma. Just too bad he put his trust in a few who shafted him.
Is that a recent pic of cobra? He sure looks completely different and has lost a lot of weight.
I love Iggies, wish I had one..neat critters.
I thought corba was able to go back to doing what he was doing before too? What happened?
Cobra is having trouble regaining his license for bail bonding. He doesn’t deserve what treatment he is getting. Time permitting it might be a subject discussed on our program this afternoon. Simon and I support Cobra 100% and we hope he gets back to his regular work soon. Keep him in your prayers please.
Jan Barrett
Oh and yes that is a recent picture of Cobra. He has lost a lot of weight but considering what he has been put through I guess that would be expected. He looks good though, don’t you think?
Jan Barrett
I, noticted the weight to, he looks great in that picture.
Cobra, you rock, dude!
Iquana crawled on his lap, at 70 MPH – LOL! Typical Cobra; who knows what he’ll get himself into next.
Impressive job, Cobra, finding two beautiful beings 400 miles away from home and safely getting them back. They must have felt safe with you, and the one who crawled on your lap wanted to be close.
Beautiful pics of them, and an enjoyable article. I gave it 5 stars!
As Iggy’s and Lenny’s owner I just have to say that Cobra was awesome. I have worked in missing person’s work for over a decade myself, but there s a world of difference in attempting to locate a person who is a stranger t you, and having lost a member of your own family. When I saw their empty cages I knew I needed help, and a god friend in federal law enforcement recommended Cobra. He drove a few hundred miles right away just to get there in time while the trail was still fresh, operated on 3 hours of sleep a night until they were found and did everything without me having to pay a penny up front. Most importantly for me he dove right away into the local underworld of individuals who might have tortured or eaten my guys. He was super kind and considerate, and despite everything he says, really great with my guys. I can’t thank him enough!!!
I’m glad they’re safe, skynast. Will the perps be arrested?
Is that Lenny in image 1, and Iggy in the second?
Scary looking little guys. Are they good pets?
Thanks for this article. I will keep Cobra in my prayers and you are right Jan, Cobra is not deserving of the treatment he has endured.
Iggy is in the first picture, Lenny in the second. Those guys are wonderful pets to me, but you have to live in a place where they can live outside in a huge habitat for them to be happy.
I am so grateful that the family took so good care of my guys and returned them to me (never even asking for the reward) that I did not want to put them through the hassle of being interviewed by the police to find out if they had seen who might have actually committed the break in. Also from what I understand there was probably at least a 3 hour time gap between the break in and when they discovered my guys, which would make it extremely unlikely that they had seen anything.
I also feel for Cobra. After a decade of all volunter missing person recovery work, I myself was railroaded out of the field (and my home) because I had come too close to a truth nobody wanted to know. Unfortunately there are often individuals out here who want the missing to stay missing – and every now and then they have the power to destroy the searcher’s lives
Don’t you guys know by now,That Iggy is the one next to Lenny.ROFL Sorry,lol couln’t resist!!
I think it was a shame what was done to Cobra in Putnam County, but as the old saying goes, what goes around comes around, and where is old Charlie sitting now?
I’m glad you got you guys back. Way to go Cobra! The Lord does still provide. It’s very clear you are a good soul. Even Animals recongize this.
That saying is one of my nephew’s favorite(what goes around comes around).I have seen that happen.Anyone that helps people like Cobra does deserves to have his license back.I also believe in the power of prayer.I’ve seen it happen.Good luck Cobra!!!We’re pulling for you.Wonder if Charlie is feeling like such a big shot now??? Hi Cathy Jo. We keep missing each other.
I can’t get over how beautiful they, and Iggy is like totally beautiful to look at, even at age 16 – I just love her blue-green ocean color combination, big eyes and stripes! Lenny looks awesome with tranquil turqouise under his neck, orange to sea-green on his belly-side, and large stripes on his tail.
CathyJo, with these two, Iggy came before Lenny, but do you remember Lenny and Squiggy?
I re-read skynasts post to see if Iggy and Lenny are boy and girl, but nope – both boys! I know there are male bird species that are much more colorful than females, so maybe its the same with male Iguanas.
So cool that they have a large piece of property to roam, and a great relationship with skynast, their human friend.
Cobra’s their buddy, too!
They are ADORABLE!
Thanks for all the kind words. These lizards are very cool but I am not the lizard type they kinda freak me out a bit. But I thank God that he intrusted in me to manage their safe return. I was very doubtful I would find them but I went on faith So glad it worked out. Thanks for the prayers, I need them. Thanks to and your welcome Monroe County Sheriffs Office for the second effort. If you have a pet lizard or turtle and are tired of them, I know of a great home and care provider, Sue who simply loves these not so , well different kinda creatures. Lol
You are a brave soul, Cobra; I don’t think I could have handled that ride unless they were confined. Fear of getting smacked with their tails would have had me a mess. You made a huge difference again, Cobra. Its good to read good news for a change – THANK-YOU!
Hey, Cobra, you gotta have Simon keep us posted with more of your incredible – LOL – journeys. Word gets around, you may find yourself getting calls from people who need you to find their COBRAS even!
I LOVE it! You GO Cobra! $2000 for a human or $2000 for some expensive pets…doesn’t matter, it’s still money earned and paid. I can only imagine the humorous retelling of the story(s)…Cobra, you should get a ghost writer and have them write a book about your adventures…I’d buy it!
ALso…from the picture it seems that Corba’s Trials and Travails have put him in a LEANER & MEANER state of mind & body! Keep fighting Cobra!
WAR KOBRA!!!!!!!
Here are a few more articles and pictures about it:
http://pdf.keysnews.com/weeklys/marathon.pdf
http://www.keysnet.com/2010/06/23/231700/reward-offered-for-pilfered-iguanas.html
http://www.keysnet.com/2010/06/25/232974/stolen-iguanas-make-it-back-to.html
Iggy and Lenny actually look pretty beaten up on those pictures – if I could figure out how to post pictures on here I could put up some nicer ones.
And here is the story I did on it for all the missing pet websites:
I have myself worked in missing persons work for over a decade, but when I saw the open cages where Iggy and Lenny had been taken, I knew I needed help. Marathon is in the tropical Florida Keys, and there are tons of wild iguanas around. People here shoot, torture, and even eat them!!! I was terrified and called a friend in federal law enforcement who recommended Private Investigator William E. Staubs aka ‘Cobra’. He rushed down here and dove into the local underworld, making sure that everyone knew that my iguanas where worth a lot more alive (a 2,000 dollar reward) than dead. He was even willing to wait for his payment until half way through the case! Meanwhile we got the story into 2 local newspapers with the help of some absolutely fantastic editors, posted several hundred flyers around town, took out newspaper ads, and asked radio stations to air the story. The whole community helped out, talking about it to everyone. I was especially worried about Iggy who has a medical condition and can easily choke to death while eating especially if he doesn’t have his medication. Finally after 5 days I received the call that they had ben found a few hundred miles away. Apparently the individuals who had stolen them out of their cages abandoned them only a few dozen feet away from their habitat. A family travelling through on a boat discovered them sitting in the roadway and counting themselves lucky for having come across two catchable wild iguanas took them on the boat with them. Over the course of their trip it however became more and more evident to them that they had in fact acquired two completely tame pet iguanas. So upon reaching land they called back to a business where they had found them and were immediately told about the ongoing search. I spoke with them and expressed my extreme gratitude. Since both Iggy and Lenny are completely tame pets, they would not have survived for even a day outside their cages. In fact had that family not scooped them up from the roadway, they very likely would have been roadkill just a few minutes later. By the Grace of God they were found just in time. Cobra rushed up to retrieve them. He did not have any crates and didn’t want to waste any time getting any, so he simply let them lose in his truck where Iggy promptly decided to plop himself down on the dashboard. On the 400 mile or so drive home he then proceeded to climb over the steering wheel across Cobra (which almost caused a high speed crash). We later figured out that Iggy had ‘tasted’ my scent off the paperwork in the truck and was trying to find me. I finally met them with my truck and two crates. My 4 dogs who all adore my iguanas spend the rest of the trip home with their paws and bodies wrapped around the crates. Now Iggy and Lenny are home again and already have a better security system protecting them. But if anyone out there needs professional compassionate help recovering their pets, drop Cobra a line at caseclosed@bellsouth.net.
Jason,
Laverne and Shirleys,Lenny and Squiggy?? ROFL
Well,My opinion is simple,Cobra at the time was searching for Haleigh,Too bad no one wanted her found!!or the truth!!!!
I’d be on my knees Thanking anybody who helped!
I despise G and C Anthony but they offered support for Ron,and he didn’t want it from them,I don’t care if a gorilla offered I’d take the help!
and I know it may have been bad publicity but regardless of that if Jr was home and the house was on fire,Ron wouldn’t Thank God that George just happened to walk by and see the fire and save him!
Goes to show ya! jmo
CathyJo, Nadia Bloom’s parents also had the common sense to ignore/refuse the offer of help from the ants and the milstead’s who showed up when Nadia disappeared.
See BNN article 124298 – Simon wrote “George and Cindy Anthony showed up during the search for Nadia Bloom along with their good friends from Kid Finders. Sherri Milstead, the founder of Kid Finders Network along with her husband Dennis, claim that they have been flooded with threatening emails once the news got out that they wanted to help find Nadia.”
So I guess a lot of people didn’t want those toxic people near the search. Why should they?
I wouldn’t either. If the ants or milsteads really wanted to help they could get their greedy azzes out with the search parties or put the boat in the water or drive a billboard around – hopefully with the correct phone number on it this time – without having to ask permission. What they wanted was the publicity; to sit inside the home with Nadia’s parents fgs, to “advise” them during this time. WTH???? Get media interviews, put out propaganda for themselves and monster and solicit funds for their “fraudation.”
How would that help find Nadia? Or Haleigh?
No, both R (possibly on advice from lawyer or his own decision) and the Blooms made the right decision about these toxic people IMO.
I to support Cobra.Hes got some spunk.A brave heart i always give respect to those who arnt afraid to go to the rougher places.I was always the same.Even as a woman fearless.I have tales i could even share with Cobra that would make him say dang girl you got spunk to lol.But i thank him for all he did with looking for HaLiegh.An Pray he gets every thing back to normal.His buissness things in order.
I truly wish i would have known him when our 2 yr old was murdered.It took us 2 yrs to get the one who murdered him,an the focous off of us.An a PI solved the case,along with me,an my family.Or one of us would have been in prison for a crime we had not committed.Scary!!!!
But we need people like Cobra.An the fact hes in with Mr Grund makes it all the better.I respect both of these men,for what they do.
Oh yeah i wish i had a picture of Cobras expression when he had the Lizzard crawl over the wheel into his lap.LOL Im sure it would have been a doozy!!! Those are some big lizzards not my cup of coffee…Ill stick to a dog haha….
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