SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) – A Southern California teacher who had 400 snakes in his home, many of them dead or dying, pleaded guilty Thursday to failing to provide proper care for them.
William Buchman, 53, entered the misdemeanor plea in Orange County and was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. He also can’t have a pet for five years and is paying $17,000 in restitution for animal care.
He originally was charged with felony animal abuse, which carried a potential three-year prison term.
Buchman, who is on leave from his teaching job at Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach, cared for his ailing mother but lived alone following her death several years ago.
“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.”