REIDSVILLE (AP) — Officials in Rockingham County say state wildlife officials are joining local authorities in an investigation after a man was bitten by a rattlesnake.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said 18-year-old Kameron Burgess of Ruffin was bitten by a canebrake rattlesnake while visiting a friend at a home in Reidsville Monday night.
A statement from the sheriff’s office said Burgess and the friend were returning the snake to its enclosure when it bit Burgess on the arm. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
The sheriff’s office said the friend has a variety of poisonous snakes.
Though native to some parts of North Carolina, it is illegal under state law to keep a canebrake rattlesnake as a pet without a permit. Officials say all the snakes will be relocated.