Hibernating pet tarantulas stolen from crawlspace

Police: Missing spiders sold to pet store

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

AUSTELL, Ga. – A Georgia man says somebody got into a crawlspace under his house and spider-napped some pet tarantulas.

An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect believed to have stolen the spiders, reports The Associated Press.

According to WSB-TV, the tarantulas live beneath Dwayne Melton's suburban Atlanta home, hibernating through the winter.

Melton didn't know that five of his 18 arachnids were missing until a pet store called him to say a man had just sold them five tarantulas, reports the AP.

Melton was able to identify the spiders as his, reports the AP, and Austell police were contacted.