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By: Josiah Robinson
A video recently posted online shows a mother presenting a snake to her daughter, the toddler reaching for the snake, and being bitten. Shortly after the toddler is bitten by the small snake, the mother can be heard laughing.
The mother, Chartelle St. Laurent, faced significant backlash after the video was posted online.
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According to Fox 11, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office has reviewed the video and referred the case to the state attorney’s office. The Sheriff’s Public Information Officer, Scott Dressel, relayed St. Laurent’s sentiments.
“She says she was just trying to teach the child to be afraid of snakes.”
Deputies also say St. Laurent let the snake bite her first to ensure it wouldn’t harm the 1-year-old. Furthermore, the snake was non-venomous and the toddler’s skin was not broken by the bite.
“People that know us know she would never hurt her child,” said Brenda St. Laurent, the toddler’s grandmother. She continued, saying that “there was no harm to the baby,” and that “the baby is fine, a happy, healthy baby.”
Living on their ranch in Sebring, the family has always been surrounded by animals. Brenda St. Laurent said she had given Chartelle the same lesson in her youth.
The family told Fox 11 that the Florida Department of Children and Families visited but took no action. The state attorney’s office has not contacted them yet, either. The state attorney’s office did not respond before the original story was made public.
“Obviously it is not a good idea,” Dressel said. “There are teachable moments you can have with a child. That didn’t seem like a good one.”
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