Teacher Docked For Hoarding 400 Snakes In House

A California man who improperly kept
more than 400 snakes in his Santa Ana
home pleaded guilty to animal abuse
charges last week.
William Frederick Buchman was
sentenced to three years formal
probation and 100 hours of community
service on July 10, according to KTLA. A
judge also ordered him to attend a 16-
week animal neglect prevention program,
and banned Buchman from owning or
caring for animals for five years.
He will also pay $17,000 as restitution
for veterinary expenses and care for the
hundreds of ball pythons that were
discovered in his home in January.
Buchman, who is an elementary school
teacher, was arrested after a neighbor
called authorities to complain about the
foul odor coming from the man’s house.
Responders arrived to find more than
400 ball pythons stored in the house.
Police said approximately 280 of the
reptiles were dead or dying, and others
had gotten out of their containers.
“Some [were] in boxes, some in crates
and some crawling around,” Santa Ana
Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told KABC
following Buchman’s arrest. The stench
was described as “god-awful.”
“House of Horrors: That’s the best way to
describe it,” Sondra Berg, supervisor for
the Santa Ana Police Department’s
Animal Services Division, said after
Buchman’s arrest.
In a statement obtained by KNBC,
Buchman’s attorney explained that the
hoarding came about due to his client’s
depression
.
“Mr. Buchman suffered a severe
depression after the long terminal
illness and death of his mother,” his
attorney, Paul Meyer, said in a
statement. “The depression paralyzed
him and he tragically neglected the
reptiles, which had been a family
hobby.”