diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.cpp b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.cpp
index 6ba4c84985..2c8548033f 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityItemProperties.cpp
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ void EntityItemProperties::setLastEdited(quint64 usecTime) {
 
 bool EntityItemProperties::constructFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int dataLength) {
     ReadBitstreamToTreeParams args;
-    EntityItemPointer tempEntity = EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(data, dataLength, args);
+    EntityItemPointer tempEntity = EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(data, dataLength);
     if (!tempEntity) {
         return false;
     }
diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTree.cpp b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTree.cpp
index 3f0b5249ec..542e18fa6a 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTree.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTree.cpp
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ int EntityTree::readEntityDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLef
                         addToNeedsParentFixupList(entity);
                     }
                 } else {
-                    entity = EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(dataAt, bytesLeftToRead, args);
+                    entity = EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(dataAt, bytesLeftToRead);
                     if (entity) {
                         bytesForThisEntity = entity->readEntityDataFromBuffer(dataAt, bytesLeftToRead, args);
 
diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp
index e511af83b0..1544adca94 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.cpp
@@ -107,8 +107,7 @@ EntityItemPointer EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(EntityType entityType, const
     return newEntityItem;
 }
 
-EntityItemPointer EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(const unsigned char* data, int bytesToRead,
-            ReadBitstreamToTreeParams& args) {
+void EntityTypes::extractEntityTypeAndID(const unsigned char* data, int dataLength, EntityTypes::EntityType& typeOut, QUuid& idOut) {
 
     // Header bytes
     //    object ID [16 bytes]
@@ -119,28 +118,32 @@ EntityItemPointer EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(const unsigned char* data, in
     // ~27-35 bytes...
     const int MINIMUM_HEADER_BYTES = 27;
 
-    int bytesRead = 0;
-    if (bytesToRead >= MINIMUM_HEADER_BYTES) {
-        int originalLength = bytesToRead;
-        QByteArray originalDataBuffer((const char*)data, originalLength);
+    if (dataLength >= MINIMUM_HEADER_BYTES) {
+        int bytesRead = 0;
+        QByteArray originalDataBuffer = QByteArray::fromRawData((const char*)data, dataLength);
 
         // id
         QByteArray encodedID = originalDataBuffer.mid(bytesRead, NUM_BYTES_RFC4122_UUID); // maximum possible size
-        QUuid actualID = QUuid::fromRfc4122(encodedID);
+        idOut = QUuid::fromRfc4122(encodedID);
         bytesRead += encodedID.size();
 
         // type
         QByteArray encodedType = originalDataBuffer.mid(bytesRead); // maximum possible size
         ByteCountCoded<quint32> typeCoder = encodedType;
         encodedType = typeCoder; // determine true length
-        bytesRead += encodedType.size();
         quint32 type = typeCoder;
-        EntityTypes::EntityType entityType = (EntityTypes::EntityType)type;
-        
-        EntityItemID tempEntityID(actualID);
-        EntityItemProperties tempProperties;
-        return constructEntityItem(entityType, tempEntityID, tempProperties);
+        typeOut = (EntityTypes::EntityType)type;
     }
-    
-    return NULL;
+}
+
+EntityItemPointer EntityTypes::constructEntityItem(const unsigned char* data, int bytesToRead) {
+    QUuid id;
+    EntityTypes::EntityType type = EntityTypes::Unknown;
+    extractEntityTypeAndID(data, bytesToRead, type, id);
+    if (type > EntityTypes::Unknown && type <= EntityTypes::LAST) {
+        EntityItemID tempEntityID(id);
+        EntityItemProperties tempProperties;
+        return constructEntityItem(type, tempEntityID, tempProperties);
+    }
+    return nullptr;
 }
diff --git a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.h b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.h
index 29a695718e..dfb7779154 100644
--- a/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.h
+++ b/libraries/entities/src/EntityTypes.h
@@ -112,8 +112,9 @@ public:
     static const QString& getEntityTypeName(EntityType entityType);
     static EntityTypes::EntityType getEntityTypeFromName(const QString& name);
     static bool registerEntityType(EntityType entityType, const char* name, EntityTypeFactory factoryMethod);
+    static void extractEntityTypeAndID(const unsigned char* data, int dataLength, EntityTypes::EntityType& typeOut, QUuid& idOut);
     static EntityItemPointer constructEntityItem(EntityType entityType, const EntityItemID& entityID, const EntityItemProperties& properties);
-    static EntityItemPointer constructEntityItem(const unsigned char* data, int bytesToRead, ReadBitstreamToTreeParams& args);
+    static EntityItemPointer constructEntityItem(const unsigned char* data, int bytesToRead);
 
 private:
     static QMap<EntityType, QString> _typeToNameMap;