DSM Man gets Probation in Exotic Animal Case

Tools

DSM Man gets Probation in Exotic Animal Case

By Becky Ogann

DES MOINES (AP) - A Des Moines man has been placed on probation in a case involving exotic animals.

Larry Eddinger also promised the judge that he'd scale back his collection.

Eddinger kept two pythons, a pair of alligators and other animals in a vacant house, which became a magnet for curious kids in the neighborhood.

Assistant City Attorney Kathy Massier argued the alligators and big snakes were a hazard to children, who wanted to see the other animals - rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and turtles.

Judge William Price agreed. Eddinger was put on probation for a year and fined $1,000. Price told Eddinger he can keep eight corn and king snakes and four turtles. He can also keep the pythons if he gets the proper permits.
View comments

The following comments do not necessarily represent the views of KCRG-TV9. Users have agreed to these terms and in doing so accept full responsibility for their comments. Moderation is limited.

Monday, Oct 13 at 10:33 PM Alligators wrote ...

Make fine boots.

Monday, Oct 13 at 9:49 AM Sarah wrote ...

Why were these in a vacant house? And if there is a reason why wasn't it securely locked so the kids couldn't get inside? Maybe I'm just reading the story wrong. It sounds more like a zoo than a man with a bunch of pets.

Sunday, Oct 12 at 10:57 AM 17 wrote ...

An alligator is not a pet. They are very dangerous animals. I don't see an issue with the snakes, if they are taken care of and properly caged. The rabbits birds and guinea pigs obviously were food, not pets.

Sunday, Oct 12 at 10:29 AM annon wrote ...

Alligators.....Pets?

Saturday, Oct 11 at 3:34 PM Anon wrote ...

I don't think the number of pets was the problem. He was violating the law by keeping exotic animals without a permit. Because of the children that wanted to visit the smaller animals, this provided an even bigger problem of safety.

Saturday, Oct 11 at 1:13 PM Anonymous wrote ...

this is bull, why can't someone have pets.

Saturday, Oct 11 at 12:12 PM Anonymous wrote ...

I agree, except that is the problem, people who are animal collectors rarely can take care of all of them because there is just too many and it gets out of hand. We've all heard of the houses with 100 cats living inside that have to be demolished because of the smell and filth. If this guy is responsible and actually takes good care of his many animals then fine, but I bet that is not the case.

Saturday, Oct 11 at 12:16 AM Brian wrote ...

I think as long as you can take care of them you should be able to have as many pets as you want

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 500 Characters Left

By submitting a comment to this web site, I affirm that I have read, understand, agree to and shall abide by the following rules and regulations as a term and condition of all comments which I may post. As terms and conditions of using this KCRG web site, I agree that I am fully responsible for the contents of all statements which I make. To the best of my knowledge, all such statements are true, fair, and accurate. I shall not post any statements which attack a person’s integrity or moral character, expose a person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule, deprive a person of the benefits of public confidence and social dealings, or injure a person in the maintenance of that person’s business. I shall not knowingly post content that violates the copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual property right of a third person. I shall not post content that is false, liable, defamatory, obscene, abusive, that violates a person’s right to privacy, that otherwise violates any applicable local, state, national or international law or that is otherwise inappropriate. I acknowledge that if I post a comment which violates this policy that an offended person to whom comments are directed may have a right through judicial process to determine my identity and make a claim against me for damages. I agree that I shall indemnify KCRG, its employees, agents, representatives and affiliates from any and all expenses KCRG may incur as a result of comments I post which violate this policy, claims and/or damages, including but not limited to reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. KCRG is not responsible for the contents posted or anything arising out of the use of the contents or other interaction and has no obligation or duty to monitor or control any posting but does reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove, or edit user generated comment.

I have read and agree to the terms

Hide comments
Athlete of the Week
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
More On Demand

What's On KCRG

10:00
Iowa Realty Home Buyers
11:00
Inside Edition Weekend
11:30
To the Point with Beth
12:00
Paid Programming