When a Goodwill staff member in Stafford, Virginia started sifting through a box of contributed books, that person did not anticipate to come across a four-foot snake. Nobody knows how the snake wound up inside package of contributed items– did somebody attempt to donate it? Did it try to contribute itself to a place with cooling? Likely, it just slithered into the box at some point.
After finding the surprising contribution, Goodwill called animal control, and Captain J.A. Bice came to the rescue. While reporting the story, the Stafford County Constable’s Department couldn’t help but make a number of Harry Potter jokes, calling the snake a “basilisk” and a “Slytherin suspect.”
“Using his powers of persuasion, and a bit of Parseltongue, Captain Bice was able to safely eliminate the snake and release it back into the wild,” the sheriff’s workplace said in its cheeky event report. “No snakes, staff members, or deputies were damaged throughout the event.”
Considering Harry Potter ruined the Basilisk in Chamber of Tricks, we’re assuming this Goodwill snake is actually a northern black racer or possibly an eastern ratsnake. Both species live throughout Virginia, are mainly black, and can grow to be 4 feet or more.
Luckily, both species are harmless … however a snake is still not something you ‘d wish to stock at the Goodwill.
PSA: Snakes aren’t approved contribution products at the regional Stafford County, Virginia Goodwill. Here’s the story.