US police find uranium and rattlesnake in stolen car during traffic stop
Man pulled over in stolen vehicle with powdered radioactive material, bottle of Kentucky Deluxe, terrarium with deadly reptile and gun; ‘uranium is the wild card,’ say police
Stephen Jennings after police say they found in his car a rattlesnake, a canister of radioactive powdered uranium and an open bottle of Kentucky Deluxe whiskey during a traffic stop. (Logan County, Oklahoma Sheriff's Office via AP)
GUTHRIE, Oklahoma — Police in Oklahoma said they found a rattlesnake, a canister of radioactive powdered uranium and an open bottle of Kentucky Deluxe whiskey during a traffic stop of a vehicle that had been reported stolen.
The traffic stop happened June 26 in Guthrie, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City.
Guthrie police Sgt. Anthony Gibbs told Oklahoma City TV station KFOR that police don’t know why the uranium was in the vehicle or how it was obtained, though uranium ore can be bought on Amazon.
Gibbs says police also found a gun in the console and a terrarium in the backseat containing a pet Timber rattlesnake.
A timber rattlesnake caught in Cross Fork, Pennsylvania, June 25, 2006. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
“When that happens, of course, we call in a company that deals with that specifically, and it’s taken safely into possession,” Gibbs told KFOR. “The uranium is the wild card in that situation.”
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Gibbs says the driver, Stephen Jennings, was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, transporting an open container of liquor and driving with a suspended license.
Jennings remains jailed in Logan County.
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