Jamie Coots, a Pentacostal pastor who stared on National Geographic’s Snake Salvation, died on Saturday, Feb. 15, of snakebite.

Snake Handling In Church

Coots practiced snake-handling, an old belief that those anointed by God are safe from poisonous snakebites. Snake-handling is reportedly illegal in most states, but remains popular in the rural South. Coots, who was sentenced to one year of probation in February 2013 after being arrested for crossing into Tennessee with venomous snakes, preached in Kentucky at his church, Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name, and came from a long line of snake handlers.

Coots was bitten mid-sermon and reportedly refused treatment, in keeping with his declarations on the show that he had promised himself never to seek medical treatment for snake bites, and if he did he would leave the church.

The pastor received the deadly bite during services and had gone home before the EMTs arrived on scene. When officials reached Coots at home, he refused medical treatment and was dead by an hour later.

Cody Coots, 21, Pastor Coot’s son, was right by his father’s side at the ceremony and made the decision to take his father home, saying that was the usual course of action. Coots had been bitten eight times before and survived, though he once lost a finger.

“We’re going to go home, he’s going to lay on the couch, he’s going to hurt, he’s going to pray for a while and he’s going to get better. That’s what happened every other time, except this time was just so quick and it was crazy – it was really crazy,” Cody said.

Cody says he will take over the church for his father and continue the tradition of snake handling. A big part of Snake Salvation, which only lasted for one season, was Coots’ question to teach Cody how to be a pastor.

“The thing I’ll miss the most is the snake hunting… that was father son time,” Cody told the local news.

National Geographic also released a statement, commending Coots for his “unwavering faith.”

“In following Pastor Coots for our series Snake Salvation, we were constantly struck by his devout religious convictions despite the health and legal peril he often faced.

“Those risks were always worth it to him and his congregants as a means to demonstrate their unwavering faith. We were honored to be allowed such unique access to Pastor Jamie and his congregation during the course of our show, and give context to his method of worship. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time,” National Geographic Channels spokeswoman, Stephanie Montgomery, said in a statement.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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