A South Carolina state trooper went above and beyond the call of duty when he wrangled a snake from a woman’s car on the side of the interstate.

Sergeant Jonathan Oxandaboure of the South Carolina Highway Patrol — affectionately known by fellow troopers as Sergeant Ox — leaped into action when a four-foot-long King snake slithered its way into a woman’s car. Mary Alice Simmons was driving to a car maintenance appointment when she glanced down to find a snake creeping along the floorboard of the passenger seat. Trying to remain calm, she managed to pull over onto the shoulder of Interstate 20 in Kershaw County.

“I definitely freaked out. I’m surprised I didn’t wreck!” Simmons said. When she called 911, dispatch told her they were unable to help and sent for Highway Patrol instead.

Senior Trooper Bruce Horton received the call and dropped by Oxandaboure’s office on the way.

“I remember him saying, ‘Sarge, you want to come help?’” Oxandaboure said of Horton, whom he has known since high school. “It was something different, so we were going to have a good time.”

Simmons greeted the two troopers as they arrived on the scene, rattled but grateful to see them. By that time, the snake had already made its way onto the dashboard.

“She was having a rough day, that’s for sure,” Oxandaboure said. “I felt bad for the lady because she wanted to burn the car.”

Opening the car door, he grabbed the snake with one hand behind the head and the other on the tail.

“This trooper had to be a good ole country boy,” Simmons said, referring to Oxandaboure. “He reached in there, grabbed that snake, and pulled him right out like it was a cute little kitten.”

While snake wrangling isn’t part of the curriculum at the Criminal Justice Academy, Oxandaboure has certainly corralled his share of the slithering violators while on the clock — roughly a half dozen or so, he said. After showing off his catch to the other troopers, he later released the snake in a swamp near his office.

Simmons appreciated both troopers for answering such an unconventional call. Immediately following the incident, she told her husband there was no way she was driving all the way back to Chesterfield in the vehicle. That same day, she decided to trade in her car for a newer model.

She commended the troopers’ positive attitude and professional demeanor.

“They were very light-hearted and had a good sense of humor,” she said. “Those troopers were awesome!”

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