Snake invades woman’s closet

An unidentified serpent invaded a senior woman’s home Friday causing her to seek assistance from law enforcement. Velda Hiebert of Hillsboro mistook the snake for a possession she keeps in case of emergency.

“I use my whistle to draw people’s attention when I need help,” Velda said. “When I reached down to pick it up off it the ground it moved, and ewww…” She shivered recollecting her realization. “I have never had a snake in my house before,” Velda said. “It was about as long as my whistle and chain and as thick as my little finger.” She retreated in horror and phoned Hillsboro police as the snake slithered into her closet.

Assistant chief Jessey Hiebert, no relation to Velda, investigated the whereabouts of her scaly intruder. “Jessey doesn’t care for snakes,” police chief Dan Kinning said. “He’s not scared of them. He’s just like more people; he just doesn’t want to touch them, but he was a champ.”

Prior to confronting the snake, Hiebert collected a pair of welding gloves from his home for bite protection. They’re pretty thick and they go clear up his arms,” Kinning said. “It probably wasn’t venomous but he didn’t want to take any chances.” Velda waited anxiously while Hiebert removed stuff from her closet. He eventually found the snake coiled up on the floor at the back of the closet.

Velda was relieved when Hiebert took the snake outside and released it, yet as of Monday the fate of the snake was unclear.

“I looked outside and it’s still out in the street,” Velda said. “Maybe it was sluggish because it’s been cold, but it could’ve been run over.”