A former inmate alleges that he was tortured with a snake by jail guards. Trawick Redding, Jr. of Ozark has filed a $3 million lawsuit claiming that guards in an Alabama jail made use of a Burmese python snake to harass and torture him.

Redding claims that he suffered injuries after two guards used a six-to-seven-foot-long yellow Burmese python to torture him while he was in custody on theft charges, AL.com reports. He said that after he woke from a nap in his bunk, one of the officers had a large snake right in front of his face. Redding says that he jumped and hit his head, which led to him visiting a medical facility off-site.

The inmate who claims he was tortured with a python snake also had to see a therapist. Redding’s attorney, Martin Weinberg, explains that “this is a very serious matter that should be dealt with.”

“We think this is a very serious matter that should be dealt with. This was not just a garden snake that somebody just found on the ground walking into the jail or the woods by the jail. This was something that was planned out as a means to control, torture and harass the inmates.”

Two correctional officers — Zeneth Glenn and Ryan Mittlebach — were fired over the alleged incident. They’re accused of using a “deadly and venomous snake as a means of torture, assault of inmate, cruel and unusual punishment” while he was in jail two years ago.

Trawick goes on to say that Glenn and Mittlebach had the python in the jail kitchen where he worked as a trustee on August 11, 2013. The former inmate told the jail guards that he was afraid of snakes and didn’t want to be anywhere near it.

Redding say that others in the jail staff — including supervisors — saw the python.

It was several hours after breakfast that Redding said he went back to his cell to take a nap. He was rudely met with a yellow Burmese python that Glenn was holding when he opened his eyes.

Redding cites chronic health conditions, such as congestive heart failure and diabetes, as worsening since the jail guards tortured him with the snake. He had to remain in jail one year after the alleged occurrence.

According to the report, the Dale County Sheriff’s Office has no comment on the lawsuit.

Dothan Eagle reports that the Dale County Commission Chairman, Mark Blankenship, said the suit has been turned over to the county’s insurance company. He explained that it’s “primarily something the sheriff manages. We own the jail, but the sheriff manages it.”

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]