Bullsnake found in bathtub in Hastings home

HASTINGS, Minn. (FOX 9) - Residents in a Hastings, Minnesota home awoke to a slithering surprise in their bathroom early Monday morning, according the Hastings Police Department.

Jeff Frandrup says he got a rude awakening around 4 a.m. when his son started screaming in the bathroom.

"I heard a ruckus and he come out of the bathroom and yelled, ‘Dad there's a snake in your bathroom,' and I was like, 'what?'" said Frandup.

Frandrup later called for police several hours later. When officers arrived, the Frandrups had corralled the snake inside a pillowcase.

"I don't care if they are around, but not in my bathroom," said Frandrup.

Sgt. Matthew Hedrick says he's never received a call like this before. While bullsnakes are not venemous, he says officers weren't exactly jumping to face their scaled suspect.

"When we arrived, we all pointed fingers at who would handle it," said Hedrick.

Officer Mike Schmitz ended up taking on the coveted snake handler role. Holding it out on a hook, the snake appears as long as the officer in a photo posted on the City of Hastings Facebook page. Hedrick says the bullsnake was about 6 1/2 feet long. After apprehending the home intruder, police released the snake in a wooded area near an industrial park. 

"That's about as big as they get - 6 feet," said Schmitz. "But it's rare for them to get to that long. That thing could have driven itself to the park and let itself go."

Somehow the reptile made its way into the home through a small hole. Police believe it came from the nearby Hastings Sand Coulee Scientific and Natural Area located just outside the neighborhood.