A homeowner burned down their house in Montgomery County, Maryland, when trying to battle a snake infestation with smoke. (Courtesy Montgomery County police) A Montgomery County, Maryland, homeowner burned their house down on Nov. 23 while trying to manage a snake infestation, officials said Thursday night. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer tweeted that the owner tried using smoke from coals to fight the serpents in a house on Big Woods Road near Poolesville.
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The fire broke out around 10 p.m., officials said. Piringer said 75 firefighters were called to put out the blaze. It’s believed that coals in the basement started the fire, which caused more than $1 million in damage. There were no human injuries, Piringer said. He listed the snakes’ status as “undetermined.”
Judge clears way for Catherine Hoggle’s insanity plea
A Montgomery County judge cleared the way Thursday for Catherine Hoggle, the mother charged with murdering her two young children 12 years ago, to enter a plea of not criminally responsible, Maryland’s equivalent of an insanity plea.
Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant heard about an hour of arguments from both sides in the case, during which Hoggle's defense brought up five issues connected to discovery evidence, including the initial video interview of Hoggle when she was arrested.
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