S.C. troopers remove slithering stowaway from woman's car

Sept. 12 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman pulled over to the side of a highway and called for help when she spotted a stowaway on the floorboards of her car -- a snake.

Mary Alice Simmons said she was on Interstate 20 in Kershaw County when she spotted the snake slithering on the floorboard in the passenger area of her car.

"I definitely freaked out. I'm surprised I didn't wreck," Simmons said in a news release from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Simmons pulled over and called 911. Dispatchers contacted the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Senior Trooper Bruce Horton took the call and recruited Sgt. Jonathan Oxandaboure to come along for the unusual call.

The pair arrived on the scene to find the snake had slithered onto Simmons' dashboard.

Oxandaboure reached in and grabbed the 4-foot king snake by the head and tail.

"This trooper had to be a good ole country boy," Simmons said. "He reached in there, grabbed that snake, and pulled him right out like it was a cute little kitten."

Oxandaboure said he took the snake back to his office to show his coworkers before releasing it in a nearby swamp.

Simmons, who was on her way to a car maintenance appointment, said the incident inspired her to decide to trade the vehicle in for a newer model.