SANTA ANA, Calif. (MCT) — A Santa Ana house where authorities Wednesday discovered as many as 400 snakes is so littered with cages and rats and snakes — some alive, many dead — animal control officers said they are still making their way through the cluttered house and haven’t thoroughly searched all the rooms.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (MCT) — A Santa Ana house where authorities Wednesday discovered as many as 400 snakes is so littered with cages and rats and snakes — some alive, many dead — animal control officers said they are still making their way through the cluttered house and haven’t thoroughly searched all the rooms.
William Buchman, 53, a Newport Beach grade-school teacher who lived in the house, was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of animal cruelty, and authorities obtained a search warrant to scour the home.
Buchman is identified on various reptile collector websites as a ball python breeder, said Jason Haywood president of Southern California Herpetologist Association and Rescue.
Sondra Berg, supervisor with Santa Ana Animal Services, said when they entered the house, they discovered mice were eating one another and the home was peppered with mice feces.