A Wimauma teenager is recovering after officials said he was bitten in the face by a snake.
Austin Hatfield, 18, was admitted to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition after he was bitten Tuesday.
Since then, Hatfield has been upgraded to good condition.
Hatfield's friends said he had caught the cottonmouth in his girlfriend's back yard last week, and that he kept it as a pet. His friend Jason Belcher said he kissed the snake several times.
"Alright he’s kissed it 12 times. The 13 wasn’t a lucky one,” Belcher said. “We was sitting in the kitchen and he ran out of the room saying, 'Hospital, hospital, now, now.' ”
Florida Fish and Wildlife is now investigating because Hatfield didn’t have a permit to have the snake.