Post by Beck on Nov 7, 2006 13:22:37 GMT -5
Woman Fatally Bitten By Snake At Church
POSTED: 12:57 pm EST November 7, 2006
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LONDON, Ky. -- A southeastern Kentucky law enforcement officer said a woman was bitten by a snake during church and died.
She was 48-year-old Linda Long. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office reported that she died Sunday at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Detective Brad Mitchell said Long died about four hours after the bite was reported.
Officials said Long attended East London Holiness Church. Neighbors of the church told the newspaper the church practices serpent handling.
Lt. Ed Sizemore of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said friends went with Long to a local hospital Sunday afternoon.
"She said she was bitten by a snake at her church," Sizemore said.
Sizemore said he thinks the woman was bitten by a timber rattlesnake.
Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of $50 to $100. Police said they had not received reports about snake handling at the church.
Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible, in the Gospel of Mark, that said a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed.
A woman who lives near the church told the Lexington-Herald leader that she's witnessed snake handling at the church.
"I don't have no dealings with those snakes," Opal Wagers said. "But they seem to handle them pretty good."
She told the paper that people handle snakes at the church at least one Sunday each month. Wagers said the snakes are taken to the church by members from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
Church officials could not be reached for comment.
POSTED: 12:57 pm EST November 7, 2006
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Sign Up for Breaking News Alerts
LONDON, Ky. -- A southeastern Kentucky law enforcement officer said a woman was bitten by a snake during church and died.
She was 48-year-old Linda Long. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office reported that she died Sunday at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Detective Brad Mitchell said Long died about four hours after the bite was reported.
Officials said Long attended East London Holiness Church. Neighbors of the church told the newspaper the church practices serpent handling.
Lt. Ed Sizemore of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office said friends went with Long to a local hospital Sunday afternoon.
"She said she was bitten by a snake at her church," Sizemore said.
Sizemore said he thinks the woman was bitten by a timber rattlesnake.
Handling reptiles as part of religious services is illegal in Kentucky. Snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of $50 to $100. Police said they had not received reports about snake handling at the church.
Snake handling is based on a passage in the Bible, in the Gospel of Mark, that said a sign of a true believer is the power to "take up serpents" without being harmed.
A woman who lives near the church told the Lexington-Herald leader that she's witnessed snake handling at the church.
"I don't have no dealings with those snakes," Opal Wagers said. "But they seem to handle them pretty good."
She told the paper that people handle snakes at the church at least one Sunday each month. Wagers said the snakes are taken to the church by members from Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.
Church officials could not be reached for comment.
