Snake bites deputy in suspect chase

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A snake bit a Travis County sheriff’s deputy last Friday while he was chasing a suspect on foot.

According to an arrest warrant, Deputy Marc Taub tried to pull over Lee Standberry, 40, for speeding. However, the warrant indicated that it seemed Standberry didn’t want to talk to Taub.

Taub said the suspect sped away from him and ran through red a red light before getting onto the interstate and driving “in a reckless manner in and out of traffic.”

Taub said he chased Standberry 40 miles through Austin, Buda, Kyle and San Marcos as speeds reached 115 mph during the chase.

Finally, authorities were able to deploy spike strips, causing one of Standberry’s tires to go flat.

Standberry then drove his car off the road before running into a wooded area. The affidavit indicates that as Taub chased after him, he was bitten by a snake.

Another deputy caught up with Sandberry and detained him, in addition to two other people police said were in the car. However, all three were let go because Travis County sheriff’s deputies did not get their paperwork together in time.

Travis County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Roger Wade said Taub’s snake bite prevented him from getting all the paperwork together in time to hold the three suspects. Wade said deputies planned on detaining the three suspects sometime Thursday.

Records indicate Standberry has been arrested for resisting arrest three times before, in addition to some other 21 arrests for assault, burglary, theft and drug charges.

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the dash camera video of the chase or the bite, citing an open records law that allows law enforcement to withhold certain evidence from public release if they feel it would compromise the integrity of an ongoing investigation.