The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland confirmed that David Riston, 49, of Pomfret, was surrounded by 124 venomous and nonvenomous snakes when he was found unconscious in his home, WUSA-TV reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the Charles County Sheriff’s Department said.
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I kept a western diamondback rattlesnake in the house back in the 1980s. I'm not into reptiles as pets, but it was a nice conversation piece as well as a money-maker.
I used to bet anybody and everybody that walked through the door 5 bucks they couldn't hold their hand up against the glass of the terrarium and not flinch when the snake struck at it.
I never lost a single bet. If that snake struck, they flinched.
