Pastor nabbed in illegal deadly snake bust, using in church, sold on Net

I ask you, do we want clergy arrested like common criminals, after a sting operation?

You damn skippy we do! The latest to get a new and captive congregation is pastor James Coots of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus' Name, not surprisingly from Middlesboro, KY and without a phone. Was the sting over Graft or child abuse? Nay, it was carried out by the Fish and Wildlife Agency. In Coot's home alone were 42 copperheads, 11 timber rattlesnakes, three cottonmouth water moccasins, a diamondback rattler, two cobras, a puff adder, and Mrs. Coots in a pear tree.

He was charged with buying, selling, and possessing illegal reptiles. Rather than being satisfied with just enough deadly snakes to kill his congregation many times over, he was selling them. Undercover officers purchased more than 200 illegal reptiles, some of which were advertised for sale on web sites. On site lists copperheads for $50 each and cobras for $450. That's a lot faster than building the church finances with bake sales, but more than I'd pay before they were shoes.

While handling snakes is practiced in a few fundamentalist churches in Appalachia, based on the literal interpretation of Bible verses stating true believers can take up serpents without being harmed. Some also practice taking poison from another portion of scripture. Both forms of modified Russian Roulette are illegal in most states, including Kentucky.

When someone is bitten and dies, obviously they didn't "believe". A Tennessee woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a service in 1995. Her husband must not have been a "true" believer either, he died three years later after having been bitten in northeastern Alabama, or another part of his anatomy.

To think, you can purchase deadly and often imported snakes from a website, but the government has cracked down so we may not purchase a mild pain medication or sedative which are sold over the counter in many other countries often directly to the north and south of us.

I particularly like the summation by an investigator in the Coot's Caper. "You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense," Harrison said. "A venomous snake isn't a pet. You don't play with it. If you do, you're an idiot." Pastor nabbed in illegal deadly snake bust, using in church, sold on Net Digg | Reddit | Stumble | Buzz it! | Email Article | Kick! Home