Box of donations springs to life at Goodwill, leading to scary find, Virginia cops say
A box of donations sprang to life at a Goodwill store, igniting a strange call for help, according to animal control officials in Virginia.
Hiding inside was a snake and it was big, the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office reported in a June 18 news release.
The discovery was made Monday, June 17, at a Goodwill in Stafford, about a 65-mile drive north from Richmond, officials said.
“With the rise in temperatures recently everyone is trying to beat the heat, even the local wildlife. This 4-foot-long (snake) was unearthed ... in a box of donated books,” the sheriff’s office said in the release
“Luckily, the Captain of Animal Control, Captain J.A. Bice, was nearby. ... Captain Bice was able to safely remove the snake and release it back into the wild.”
A photo shared by the sheriff’s office shows Bice used tongs that kept the biting end of the snake at a distance.
Goodwill officials suspect it was already in the box when the books were hauled into the store.
Details of who found it — and how the moment played out — were not released.
“As a friendly reminder, please make sure to carefully check your donation boxes for unexpected wildlife!” the store wrote on Facebook.
The sheriff’s office didn’t identify the snake, but commenters on Facebook noted it appeared to be a northern black racer, a species that is nonvenomous but can reach an intimidating 6 feet in length.
“It is commonly believed they chase people. In reality they are just willing to pass by a potential threat if there is an escape route,” the Virginia Herpetological Society says.
Hundreds of people have reacted on social media, including some who wanted to know more about the discovery.
“I wonder if the employee had to go home and change his/her underpants,” one commenter wrote on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 6:14 AM with the headline "Box of donations springs to life at Goodwill, leading to scary find, Virginia cops say."