MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – After a snake was found dead on the side of the road in Iowa County, the Sheriff’s Office said the snake’s owner has reached out to their agency.

The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office said the snake was found along County Highway Z, north of Hillside School.

Iowa County officials believe the snake had a medical emergency at a veterinary clinic and died. Sheriff Michael Peterson said the snake was supposed to be buried, but was instead put on the side of the rural road.

Sheriff Peterson said Iowa County Sheriff’s Office staff will reach back out to the owner. The agency will also get help from the Iowa County District Attorney’s Office.

Officials said the snake is not native to Wisconsin and they believed it was being kept in captivity before it was abandoned.

The sheriff’s office did not specify the species of the snake but described it as “very large.”

Iowa County Sheriff’s Office thanked Arena Fire Chief Todd Pinkham and others who helped remove the animal from the side of the road.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Nearly 30 clergy members from the Iowa City region released a statement following a shooting at the Ped Mall, urging community members to come together to heal and condemning racist comments online.

“To post racist and hateful comments in response to the events of April 19 is completely unproductive, unhelpful, unkind, and wrong. As faith leaders in this community, we unequivocally condemn both the violence on April 19 and the violence of online racist comments,” the statement said in part.

Police are searching for a suspect accused of shooting into a crowd at the Iowa City Ped Mall on Sunday.

Suspect faces attempted murder charges

17-year-old Damarian Jones, of Cedar Rapids, faces several charges including five counts of attempted murder, three counts of willful injury causing serious injury, two counts of willful injury causing bodily injury, and one count of going armed with intent.

Police say Jones was involved in a fight at 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning with 40 other people. In a lull in the fight, police said Jones retrieved a gun from another person and then fired six shots into the crowd, hitting five people.

None of the five victims were part of the fight, according to police. A female who was shot in the head remains in critical condition.

Community members say they still feel safe

People living and working in downtown Iowa City say they still feel safe despite the shooting. Iowa City police say the number of shootings have trended down over the last year.

University of Iowa Police will send four additional officers to help patrol downtown during peak hours Friday and Saturday nights.

Cooper Brown, co-owner of the Kitty Corner Social Club, said what happened last Sunday was rare and a random act of violence.

“Even then the circumstances I don’t think are likely to be replicated. This has not changed how I feel about downtown Iowa City in any capacity. I think anyone who is freaking out about the safety of Iowa City probably doesn’t frequent it,” Brown said.

Police have not released any new information about the ongoing investigation since a news conference Wednesday. They say they expect more arrests and charges.

The full statement can be found here.

The Iowa State women’s basketball roster looks a whole lot different than it did two months ago.