Tennessee museum takes preacher's dead snakes

Associated Press/September 13, 2014

Gray, Tennessee -- The remains of dozens of poisonous snakes confiscated from a Tennessee preacher have been sent to a museum for research.

The 53 frozen carcasses were given to East Tennessee State University's Natural History Museum at Gray. The museum is planning to use their bones for scientific study.

Stephen Wallace, the museum's curator of vertebrates, told the Knoxville News Sentinel that some things can be learned from snakes that have been bred or raised in captivity that are different from wild snakes.

Tennessee Wildlife officers seized the snakes last year from Andrew Hamblin, pastor of the Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, which uses snake handling in services. A Campbell County grand jury chose earlier this year not to indict Hamblin, but didn't get the snakes back.

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