Relatives to Get Orphans of Snakebite Victims
- Share via
NEWPORT, Tenn. — Five children who were orphaned when their mother and snake-handling evangelist father died of snakebites were put in the custody Friday of both sets of grandparents.
The children’s paternal grandfather also is a serpent-handling preacher.
Juvenile Court Judge John Bell settled a dispute over custody of the youngsters, ages 4 to 12, by deciding they will spend the school year with grandparents in Georgia and vacations with grandparents in Tennessee.
The judge warned the grandparents to keep the children away from churches where serpents are handled.
The children’s maternal grandparents had argued that the youngsters would be safer with them. They do not belong to a snake-handling church.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
