By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
Photos provided by UPD
University of Mississippi Police Lt. Adam Peacock apprehended a slithery suspect Wednesday after capturing a venomous cottonmouth snake on campus.
Handling snakes since he was a child, when the call came into UPD at noon he was the one dispatched to handle the situation.
The snake was in the grass near a sidewalk next to the Barnard Observatory.
“The person who called it in said the snake had been there since yesterday, so at first I thought it might have been dead,” Peacock said. “But when I walked closer its head was raised up.”
Peacock managed to carefully hold the snake’s head down and pick it up from the neck. He later released the snake at a creek off campus.
Peacock who has been with UPD for more than 16 years, said Wednesday was the first time he’s seen a poisonous snake on campus.
“There have been very few incidents involving snakes and this was the first venomous one I’ve encountered,” he said.
The recent warmer weather could be responsible for drawing the snake out, Peacock said.
“They think it’s spring,” he said. “But once it gets colder again they’ll go back to hibernating.”
The snake Peacock caught was shedding its skin.
“They’ll spend a few days in one spot when they’re shedding because they can’t see when the skin covers its eyes,” he said.
While finding a poisonous snake on campus is rare, Peacock recommends that if anyone does see a snake on campus to contact UPD or Facilities Management and not attempt to remove or capture it themselves.
