Off-duty officer wrangles rattlesnake at Florida power plant

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Police in Florida wrangled a large rattlesnake found slithering around a power plant on Sunday night.

Lakeland Police Department shared video of officers grabbing the 5-foot long venomous snake that was found hiding under a stairway at the My Lakeland Electric McIntosh Power Plant.

"Our team knew the perfect Officer for the job. Off-duty Officer Scott Wisneski responded to the scene with grasping tongs in hand," police said. "When he arrived, he found the suspect, a very healthy rattlesnake, still curled up in the same location."

Wisneski grabbed the rattlesnake with a long pair of tongs and then called a venomous snake handler to take it in and use it to create an anti-venom.

"She might be able to help save someone else's life one day," Wisneski said.

Officer Wisneski has a long history of capturing snakes and other exotic animals and is always willing to lend a hand.

"It's not something you typically associate with the police department, but if we can assist we do," he said.