Auburn Police Officer Travis Barnies detains a snake that was found in someone’s car Tuesday. The snake was released on its own recognizance.

AUBURN (AP) — A Maine driver got the scare of his life when he found a snake slithering in his car.

The unidentified driver called the Auburn police Tuesday, telling a dispatcher that he was afraid of snakes and would rather burn his car than touch the garter snake that was coiled in his car door.

The police, who noted the unusual nature of the call in a Facebook post, sent Officer Travis Barnies to assist the driver. Barnies removed the snake, then got a selfie with it before releasing the foot-long snake into the wild unharmed.

A motorist found a snake in his car Tuesday and called the Auburn police. Dispatcher said the car owner would rather burn the car than deal with the snake. The snake was removed, and the car was not torched.

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