As the new year rolled in, many people reflected on the past 12 months, remembering both the good and the bad. And Buddy Schum of Bucks County recalls the shocking, and sometimes unbelievable news headlines that catapulted around Pennsylvania over the past year.

2022 was a rollercoaster ride for the Pennsylvania police department, as the year’s most popular headlines have shown:

Pennsylvania Officer Shoots 15-Foot Snake Around Citizen’s Neck

On Wednesday, July 20, 2022, a PA police officer shot a 15-foot snake in the head while it was wrapped around a male resident’s neck while in cardiac arrest.

Two Upper Macungie Township police department officers responded to a 911 call that a man was trapped in the coils of his pet snake.

In an interview following the incident, Lt. Peter Nickischer said they had entered the person’s home to find the man unresponsive on the floor.

Nickischer went on to say that the officer poked his head around the doorway to find the snake looking at him. And, as a split-second decision, he shot the snake in the head, injuring the reptile.

After the shot was fired, the snake slithered away, loosening its hold on the man’s neck. At this point, officers provided the emergency medical care he needed and rushed him to the hospital.

Due to the placement of the bullet, the snake eventually died. However, the man survived the incident thanks to the quick thinking of the responding officer and the swift medical attention he received at the nearby hospital.

According to Nickischer, one of the officers present on the scene described the incident as something “you’d see on tv.”

Former Pennsylvania Police Officers Plead Guilty to 10 Counts of Reckless Endangerment

On Thursday, November 10, 2022, three former PA police officers pleaded guilty to ten counts of reckless endangerment in the shooting that caused the death of Fanta Bility, an 8-year-old girl during a football game the previous year.

Brian Devaney, Sean Dolan, and Devon Smith were the officers. Originally, they were charged in January 2022 with 12 counts of reckless endangerment and involuntary and voluntary manslaughter. However, Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney, said the manslaughter charges were erased as part of the officers’ plea deal.

The family of Fanta Bility accepted the plea deal after a lot of prayer and discussion, according to Siddiq Kamara, a family spokesperson. He added that the plea agreement would allow his family to begin the healing process.

The three former officers are scheduled to be sentenced on January 12, 2023.

The Three-Mile Police Car Chase in Pennsylvania Ends With 10-Year-Old Behind Wheel

On December 21, 2022, Pennsylvania state police pursued a red Ford Explorer driving without headlights before heading the wrong way around a traffic circle.

The officers activated their lights and sirens, but the driver ignored authorities. Ultimately, this led to a police chase, which ended up lasting roughly three miles until the SUV crashed into a utility pole.

Upon the crash, the officers learned the driver was merely ten years old, and his six-year-old sibling was also in the vehicle. They were not hurt, but it certainly wasn’t who authorities expected to find in the driver’s seat.