Goodwill employees got more than they bargained for after finding hidden 4-foot-long snake in book box

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Australian family discovers venomous snake in child’s bed

An Australian family discovered a red-bellied black snake curled up with stuffed animals on their child’s bed, which was removed and transported to another location. (Bryce Lockett via Storyful)

Goodwill Donations workers got more than they bargained for after unpacking a donation box filled with books and one four-foot slithering snake.

The Stafford Sheriff's Department in Virginia announced the donation box that sprang to life in a social media post filled with Harry Potter references on Tuesday, June 18.

Animal Control Capt. J.A. Bice was called to the Goodwill store to remove the unwanted donation after workers stumbled across the snake.

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Animal Control Capt. J.A. Bice was called to the Goodwill store on Doc Stone Road in Stafford to get rid of the unwanted slithering donation (Stafford County Sheriff’s Office)

The snake, identified as a 4-foot-long basilisk, was found among a donation box of books, police said.

"Using his powers of persuasion, and a bit of Parseltongue, Captain Bice was able to safely remove the snake and release it back into the wild," police said.

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A photo shared by the sheriff’s office showed Bice using snake tongs to keep the snake at a distance.

Goodwill store sign. The Goodwill employees found the 4-foot-long snake in a box of donated books. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The sheriff's office did not reveal the species of the "Slytherin suspect seized" at the store, but said it was likely a reptile in search of shade amid the heatwave impacting the region.

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"With the rise in temperatures recently everyone is trying to beat the heat, even the local wildlife," police said.