LAKE MARY, Fla. – A 3-year-old Seminole County boy is safe after a close encounter with a cottonmouth water moccasin.
The fast-moving snake mysteriously made its way onto Wendy Villa Gomez' pool deck Wednesday, startling her son, Cohen.
"He hollered for his mommy, and I did not think by any means it was going to be such a nasty venomous snake," Gomez said.
The unexpected visitor was nestled in some rocks near the family's enclosed pool.
"We were doing some after-Christmas cleanup out here and pulling weeds, and he was helping me gather them and put them in a bag," Gomez said. "And he spied a nasty little snake."
With no experience in snake charming, the Lake Mary mother wasn't going to take a chance with one of the most deadly snakes in Florida. She called on snake expert Bob Cross to remove the reptile.
"The 3-year-old boy that found this snake on his pool deck is a very lucky child," Cross said.
The venomous water snake wasn't very big, but Cross said it is lethal if provoked.
"A snake this size would be a very serious bite to a youngster," Cross said.
Gomez said she is relieved her son didn't touch the snake.
"I'm so thankful he just called for me instead of approaching him because it would've been deathly," Gomez said.
Cross said water moccasins usually live near backwater swamps and ponds.