Sheriff's office: Man dies from snake bite at church service

LOUISVILLE — A Kentucky sheriff's office says a man has died from a snake bite suffered during a church service.

The Bell County sheriff's office said Monday that 60-year-old John David Brock of Stoney Fork was handling the snake during a Sunday service at a Pentecostal church in Jenson.

Authorities say Brock was bitten on his left arm and refused medical treatment. The sheriff's office says Brock went to his brother's home, where he later died. The local coroner pronounced Brock dead.

Snake handling at religious services is most common in Southern Appalachian states. The basis for the practice is a passage in the Gospel of Mark.