Boy really didn't like snakes

Scott Braunstein is used to the fearful reaction his large snakes and reptiles elicit as he makes educational presentations at local festivals, libraries and schools. But he was unprepared for the violent actions of a boy at the St. Bernadette Festival in Pierce Township last Sunday.

According to the snake handler, the boy approached Popcorn, a 10-foot, nonpoisonous albino Burmese python, and told Braunstein he hated snakes.



The next thing I know ... the kid raises his leg and stomps down on the snake's head," Braunstein said. "The snake started convulsing."

Braunstein said he saw a man he believed to be the boy's father grab the child, and heard him say, "This is why I don't take you anywhere", before disappearing into the crowd.

Braunstein said he tended to the snake rather than pursuing the pair. Popcorn died from the blow, which severed its spine at the base of its skull, he said.