How did a man and a woman end up in a stolen vehicle with a gun, a bottle of whiskey, a caged rattlesnake and some radioactive uranium on a Wednesday morning?
Police in Guthrie, Okla., are still trying to figure that out after a bizarre traffic stop.
Authorities have charged Stephen Jennings with possession of a stolen vehicle, transporting an open container of liquor and driving with a suspended licence in connection with the unusual incident.
The suspect was behind the wheel with a woman in the passenger seat when their vehicle was stopped due to an expired licence tag on June 26 at approximately 11 a.m., police said.
The man had a pet timber rattlesnake in a terrarium in the back seat, according to Guthrie police Sgt. Anthony Gibbs, who spoke to local news station KFOR. Gibbs says the man also admitted to having a gun in the console of the car.
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The man was immediately placed under arrest after police learned that the vehicle had been stolen.
“So now he’s got a rattlesnake, a stolen vehicle, firearm, and somebody under arrest,” Gibbs told KFOR.
Officers searched the car and found an open bottle of whiskey next to the gun, as well as a canister of radioactive powdered uranium.
“The uranium is the wild card in that situation,” Gibbs said. “When that happens … we call in a company that deals with that specifically and it’s taken safely into possession.”
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Gibbs says police are still trying to determine what the two individuals were planning to do with their motley collection.
No charges were laid in connection with the uranium or the rattlesnake.
“It happens to be rattlesnake season at the time, so he can be in possession of this rattlesnake because he has a valid lifetime hunting and fishing licence,” Gibbs said.
Jennings remains in a Logan County jail.
—With files from The Associated Press
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