Snake-handling pastor excused by grand jury
An East Tennessee serpent-handling pastor’s legal woes are over for now. After a hearing on January 8, a grand jury decided not to indict Andrew Hamblin on charges of violating a state ban on possessing venomous snakes.
In November, state officials seized 53 serpents—including rattlesnakes, copperheads and exotic breeds—from the Tabernacle Church of God in LaFollette, Tennessee, where Hamblin is pastor.
Hamblin and his church say the Bible commands them to handle the snakes in worship. They’ve been featured in a National Geographic television series, Snake Salvation.
