SHEPPARTON NEWS (Australia) 26 November 07 Slippery customer slithers into man's car (Christine Anderson)
While visiting a friend in Nagambie, Merlin Sharples was averted to a possible hijacking of his car.
The thug had a tight grip of the steering wheel and was paused to make his escape.
Luckily, the culprit was caught in the act and in full view of onlookers, who cringed about what may have happened if he was hiding in the back seat or under the dash board.
Okay, no more mucking around - by the picture you probably worked out this was not a two-legged thug but a slithery 1.4 m reptile.
Now settle down everyone, so I can tell you the story and you don't start thinking this is a regular happening.
Mr Sharples went to visit brother-in-law Jim Rogers, who lives at a rural property near Nagambie.
You know the sort of spots where you don't need to lock your vehicle or, if you can't be bothered, close the doors. Which is what happened.
The passenger door was left ajar for about one hour and that is how the snake slithered its way in - not through a window.
Mr Sharples leapt back when he first saw the snake over his steering wheel, but being from the Northern Territory and being privvy to many reptile species, he wasn't too perturbed by the whole thing.
Mr Rogers decided to leave the removal of the snake to others and ran inside to grab the camera for his role as chief photographer.
"I am sure we saw that snake on our verandah a couple of days before," Mr Rogers said.
He also said this was the time of the year he often saw snakes about the property. "Christmas time we usually get a break from them and then we see them on the move again around February," Mr Rogers said.
Slippery customer slithers into man's car