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A South Carolina woman woke up Tuesday morning and went to her apartment’s bathroom where she was met by a large snake that was behind the toilet, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.

It wasn’t a plumbing tool, and the reptile was not the woman’s pet.

An incident report said the woman screamed and called for help, an understandable reaction to unexpectedly finding a ball python at about 5 a.m. inside of an apartment in Columbia. Information on the length and estimated age of the brown and black snake wasn’t available.

Neither the woman nor the snake was hurt, as deputies who responded to Rice Terrace Apartments and Townhomes were able to extract the exotic animal, initially placing it in a pillowcase, according to the incident report.

“We were able to provide a solution to the resident quickly and save the snake’s life!” Master Deputy Alexandra Salrin told The State.

Other than possibly frayed nerves, the only damage reported was a bathroom that was flooded because of the snake, the incident report said. Information about how the snake caused the bathroom to flood was not available.

The apartment complex is at 107 Rice Terrace Drive, in a section of Columbia between Hardscrabble Road and Longtown Road, near Ridge View High School.

The woman who found the snake first called a friend, then they both reached out to law enforcement for help, according to the incident report. Master Deputy Shannon Huffman, a member of the Community Action Team, responded to the apartment, “and knew exactly what to do!” the sheriff’s department said.

Huffman has been with the sheriff’s department for almost 4 years, according to Salrin.

Huffman’s efforts were shared on social media, While it’s common for the sheriff’s department to be called to an animal-related issue, it’s unusual to have to assist in incidents involving exotic animals such as snakes, according to Salrin.

“This was definitely a unique call for service for us,” Salrin said.

Despite the unusual nature of the call, deputies are trained to deal with a variety of situations, according to Salrin.

“We prepare our deputies to expect to be called to incidents that they never expected to be dealing with and our deputies are trained to assess the situation and determine if there is another agency or specialized unit that needs to assist,” Salrin said. “Thankfully, in this situation, (Master Deputy) Huffman has experience with a variety of animals and was comfortable dealing with the snake.”

The sheriff’s department doesn’t know how the snake ended up in the apartment. Because of the size of the snake, Salrin said there is speculation that the snake is someone’s pet and may have escaped from another apartment in the complex.

“However, that cannot be confirmed because no one has come forward” to claim the snake, Salrin said.

The snake won’t be left to fend for itself, as it was taken home by one of the sheriff’s department’s Operations deputies, according to Salrin.

In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.

This story was originally published November 6, 2024, 8:06 AM.

The South Carolina Gamecocks (5-3) face No. 24 Vanderbilt at 4:15 p.m. Saturday at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The game will air on SEC Network.

A win would give USC six wins and bowl eligibility with three games to go in the regular season.

It could be a wet afternoon in Nashville. It’s raining just before kickoff, and there’s a 70% chance of showers into the evening.

Rocket Sanders scores his third touchdown of the night on a 43-yard pass from QB LaNorris Sellers. The drive went 61 yards on just two plays and lasted 1:20 and was set up by a turnover on downs.

The Gamecocks go up by two scores again with another Rocket Sanders touchdown run. Sanders scores from a yard out on a drive in which he had four carries and 49 yards.

The Commodores get on the board with a 17-yard touchdown run from QB Diego Pavia. The score capped a 10 plays, 75-yard drive that lasted 5:13.

USC got off to a quick start after half when QB LaNorris Sellers found TE Joshua Simon and receiver Jared Brown down field for big chunk plays of 20 and 51 yards respectively. RB Raheim “Rocket” Sanders then ran it in from 33 yards out. The drive lasted 1:38 and went 75 yards on three plays.

After USC recovered the fumble towards the end of the first quarter, QB LaNorris Sellers connected with receiver Nyck Harbor for a 23-yard pass. That set Sellers up to find TE Joshua Simon for a 17-yard touchdown to draw first blood for the Gamecocks.

The drive went 81 yards on 12 plays and lasted 4:45.

After the first quarter, neither team has drawn first blood. The Gamecocks went on a six-minute drive that resulted in a missed field goal by Alex Herrera.

After USC forced another Vanderbilt punt, QB LaNorris Sellers fumbled, ending his positive streak of not turning the ball over. It was forced by Miles Capers and recovered by Langston Patterson.

Vandy QB Diego Pavia fumbled it right back, forced and recovered by Kyle Kennard.

South Carolina, according to Saturday’s final availability report from the SEC, will be without RB Matthew Fuller, LB Mo Kaba, DB Buddy Mack III, OL Jakai Moore and defensive tackles Nick Barrett and DeAndre Jules.

The Gamecocks will wear garnet helmets, white jerseys and garnet pants in Saturday’s game.

South Carolina is favored by 6 points over Vanderbilt, according to the VegasInsider consensus line that factors in multiple sportsbooks. the over-under is 45 points.

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This story was originally published November 9, 2024, 3:34 PM.