Police and animal control officers are used to dealing with gopher snakes and other nonpoisonous reptiles from time to time.
Poisonous snakes are rare, at least in the populated areas.
But on Sunday a Taft Police officer had to deal with a rattlesnake right downtown.
The 20-inch snake was curled up next a tree right in front of Alpha House on the 200 block of Seventh St.
It was also right across the street from two churches and just a half a block away from a third.
Officer Kevin Altenhofel was sent to handle the problem.
He had no choice but the kill the snake because there was no way to safely handle it or transport it and it couldn’t be left in a populated and area right on a heavily traveled sidewalk.
Taft, Calif. —
