Connecticut man finds copperhead snake in trash bin

Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Police in Connecticut said a man who picked up a bag of trash near a park later discovered a copperhead snake in his garbage bin.

Capt. Ronald Smith of the Hamden Police Department said Animal Control Officer Mitch Gibbs was dispatched to a resident's home on a report of a snake in a garbage bin.

The resident told Gibbs he had picked up an abandoned garbage bag he found near West Rock Park and took it him to put it in his bin, where he found the snake the following day.

The serpent, identified as a venomous copperhead snake, was returned to West Rock Park after Gibbs consulted with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.