Exotic lizards part of loot swiped in Oregon

By The Associated Press

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KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — A stolen-dragons investigation is under way in Klamath Falls, a city at the edge of the Oregon desert.

Someone pried open the metal door at the back of the Tropical Imports exotic-pet store Friday and made off with 10 bearded dragons, lizards with spikes along their sides. The lizards can grow several feet long.

But the stolen lizards were young and only a few inches in length. The thief, or thieves, also took several geckos, some saltwater fish and $6,000 to $7,000 worth of aquariums, cages and lighting equipment.

No cash or computer equipment was taken.

Kevin Conway, the store owner, said he is fully insured but did not expect to be a crime victim in Oregon after leaving Los Angeles, and a profitable exotic-pet store, to escape crime. He and his wife, Cheri, said the move came after she was robbed at gunpoint in their Southern California store.

"It's heartbreaking. It isn't so much the money that's taken or the damage that is done," said Cheri Conway. "Is 'betrayal' a good word?"

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