CIBOLO, Texas – A Cibolo family discovered a terrifying explanation to why their dryer suddenly stopped working.
Ruby Manriquez said the dryer was working last Friday, but then suddenly stopped working on Saturday. Her son mentioned that he was missing a shoelace, so she wondered if it could be stuck somewhere inside the machine.
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Her husband took the back off of the dryer and that's when she saw the cause of the problem. It wasn't a shoelace, it was a snake.
"My husband closed the back panel. He thought I was playing. He screwed the panel back on," Manriquez said.
Manriquez said she had no idea what to do, so she called 911.
The dispatcher told her it's not normally something that warrants a police visit, but they made an exception.
"Of course we live in Cibolo and our PD is awesome. Sgt. (Jan) Wilkiewicz came out and helped my husband move the dryer to the curb," Manriquez said.
Manriquez said the officer even tried to help her husband remove the snake before he was called away.
"We knew our situation was as important as other calls," she said.
Manriquez said a neighbor also tried to help them get the snake out without harming it, but in the end, the snake didn't make it.
After realizing the snake made its way into their home through their dryer vent, Manriquez said her husband went straight to the hardware store and bought a pest guard vent cover.
"(It's the) best $7 I've ever spent," Manriquez said.
She said the dryer is back in the house and is working fine.
As for Cibolo P.D.'s involvement, they gave us the following statement about the slithery situation.
We pride ourselves in always going above and beyond to serve our great community. Police officers don’t just respond to criminal matters, rather, we respond to every single call in which someone needs help.
We urge anyone (in Cibolo) with an animal matter to call dispatch at (210) 619-1200 so our Animal Services department can take assess the situation. Generally, if it is inside the home, a pest control service should be called. If it is an emergency, citizens shouldn’t hesitate to call 911 or the dispatch number. Officers will respond after hours or on the weekends to address the situation.
Great job to Sergeant Jan “Steve Irwin” Wilkiewicz for saving the day!
View pictures of snake in dryer:
Warning: some may find the images disturbing.