Break in at Carolina Reptile Exchange (Bruce Eisenmanns store)

Fort Mill Herald Story

Copied from Herald Story.

Valuable pythons stolen from Fort Mill reptile shop

By Tim Eberly The Herald
(Published January 18‚ 2004)

FORT MILL -- York County authorities are investigating an incident in which 10 pythons -- two of which are at least 12 feet long -- were stolen Friday from a reptile shop on U.S. 21.
The pythons were taken from Carolina Reptile Exchange, located at 3312 U.S. 21, between 1:30 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., according to a York County Sheriff's Office report.

The total value of the missing reptiles is more than $72,000. None of them are poisonous.

Bruce Eisenmann, the store owner, said he suspects the thief was someone who frequented the business, which opened in July.

"They went and got bags out of the back room to pack the snakes in," Eisenmann, 42, said. "They knew exactly what they were doing."

The reptiles had not been recovered as of Saturday night, but the York County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case. Sheriff's Detective Tracy Strickland said he has interviewed several people. No one has been charged.

"They're unique and exotic snakes, and I guess there's a market for them," Strickland said.

The owner of a nearby drywall company saw the store had been burglarized and reported it around noon Friday. Someone broke in by breaking through a glass back door, the report stated.

Six of Eisenman's breeding pythons were taken, and a 25-year-old Clover man reported four pythons he kept at the store were also stolen. Most of the snakes were in glass pens, which the suspect broke to get them out.

The most expensive reptiles taken were two 20-inch piebald pythons valued at $20,000 apiece. A 12-foot reticulated albino python, valued at $7,000, and a 12-inch spider ball python, valued at $15,000, also were missing.

"This is my personal stuff," said Eisenmann, adding that the stolen pythons weren't even for sale. "They only took the highest of the high dollar. This is what I was depending on for this store to make it."

Eisenmann said it would be difficult to sell the pythons without their registration paperwork. There's a large reptile show in less than two weeks in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Internet is an option, he said.

Suspicious activity began at the reptile shop a week before Friday's theft. A 10-foot albino python mysteriously went missing, Eisenmann said.

At 11 p.m. Thursday, Eisen-mann set several traps in the store and waited in the dark. He left at 1:30 a.m. Friday, and the burglary occurred sometime in the next 10 hours.

Anyone with information about the burglary is encouraged to call the sheriff's office at 628-3059 or Crimestoppers of York County at 877-409-4321.

Contact Tim Eberly at 329-4063 or teberly@heraldonline.com.

Bruce Eisenmann, the store owner, said he suspects the thief was someone who frequented the business, which opened in July.

Well, according to their previous ads Bruce was only "helping out" at the store, and the heteros for piebald been sold were produced right there at the store, and did not come from the Eisenmann's.

One thing is for sure, I bet they did not take none of the hetero for piebalds And a piebald valued at $20,000? One can get a pair for that kind of money. Hope they were insured...

Kindly,

$20,000 for a Pied???.... I, personally, know (and saw) a gentleman who, this last weekend, bought a 1.2 trio of 80% white Pieds for $18,000 for the TRIO....

Neil

1. Gee it was always said that he was helping out. I guess the truth finally comes out. I guess him helping out is just a cover so people will continue to buy. I guess he knows he won't sell anything if people knew he really owned the place.


2. Set traps and waited in the dark...................YEAH right.
a. What kind of traps?......bear traps?................mouse traps?............PLEASE.....I am stupid but not that stupid.
b. How convenient he knew it was about to get broken into.............Hey bruce....fake a better story.

3. It will be hard to sell the pythons without its registration papers?..................If they are visual morphs......no need for papers. I mean come one bruce. Harry was able to fake the papers.

In fact I will attach a copy of the papers for you.




SOMTHING IN THIS WHOLE THING IS STINKY.

Here is the thread:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...light=carolina

Current ad by Caroline Reptile Exchange:



quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEED CASH ,LOOKING AT ALL SERIOUS OFFERS
as alot of you know Harry at H.C.E. has not been in the best of health lately,
we are in the process of buying alot(not all)his breeders.
he has alot of holdbacks as well,as I sort thru,I will post breeders,and holdbacks
as allways,genetics will be guarenteed for the life of the animal,both by Harry ,and my storea double guarentee!
live arrival plus 10 days,
paypal is my favorite,but money orders SENT OVERNIGHT ok
you can call us with Questions,his son will be helping me with the transition,and this years breeding,(803)548-8BOA
here is whats currently available
all prices include shipping !

.4 66% het pieds
600-800 grams (all show het genetic marker)
.2 10/17/01
.1 12/03/01
.1 02/08/01
$1100 ea

.2 100% het pied
1100 grams 5/11/01
825 grams 5/11/01
$3000 on the big one(shes in with our male now)
$2400 on the smaller
take both $4000
.4 100% het pieds
aprox 125-150 grams
.2 6/01/03
.2 7/07/03
$1400 ea or $4000 for all 4
these will be in the store this weekend
for monday shipping overnight(included)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Harry Eisenmann's post a while ago:


quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
our original name was digital reptiles,that partner and I split in sept 02,he kept the name ,I became HCE
my SON,Bruce,helped with phone calls and shipping till jan 03,he is now on his own.
he does have some of my animals.Bruce is no longer associated with me in any way
our original hets were purchased localy from a broker known as Rattley reptiles.
we have since purchased 4 pieds,ands 3 other hets
we produced 3 cluches of 66s last year ,from our 1.4 hets,resulting in 4 pieds,as well as 1 cluch of 100%s from our male visual to a normal female(late in the year)
this year we produced the same so far exept on 2 pieds,and 2 cluches of pied to pied
WE WILL NOT REPOND TO ENTRAPMENT EMAILS,WHICH ARE ONES WE FIND BEING 2 FACED AND RUNNING TO THE BOI WITH WHATEVER IS SAID
it is my policy to only post and give pictures of animals which have eaten
we will not ship to ANYONE,regardless of who they think they are,without payment!
we cover genetics for life,
these statments do NOT hold true for either of my 2 sons who are currently in the business
why is my sons record having bearing on me?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Has anyone purchased animals from them ever? I purchased some a few days ago which was suppose to be here today and they was held up at airborne I was told. Plz tell me Im not getting burnt!!

I would have to agree, someting sounds a bit fishy on this one.
A snake turns up "missing", last week I think it said, and then he sets "traps" the same night they were broken in to? If something came up missing, why would you wait a week (?) to set traps? Why would you not do it sooner since you had/have high end stuff that was not taken on the day/night that the first one went missing? Why would you set traps to only leave from you hiding spot at 1:30am. I know how anal I am, if it were me I would be there all darn night.........starting with the first night after the origianl turned up missing. How odd that he left at 1:30am and low and behold something, well alot of things, turns up stolen that same night. I hope that I am wrong as I would not wish this upon anyone, but I call bu!!$h!t on this one.
Done rambling for now........ )

The fact that the mystery Pieds that no one has seen pictures of together and are soooooooooo valuable disappeared lends a great deal of weight to your suspicions Brian. I've been thinking along the same lines.

It would be very interesting to see his insurance claim on the snakes that were supposedly stolen.

I smell fish.

Wes Pollock

I am not in the insurance business, but I do not think I am too far off from my thinking. First of all, not all insurance companies will insure snakes. This very well could be different since it is a business run out of a retail shop. Second, I would not be surprised if those that will insure them request a photo of the snake that is being insured. I hope he did that. I know with valuable items people have insured (jewelry and stuff like that) the perosn needs to send the insurance company a certificate of value (or appraisal) or a pic or something. Otherwise we all could tell our insurance companies that we have half a dozen 3 qt. diamond rings that need to be insured.......when in fact none of them may exist. Follow me?

I not only follow what you're saying but, if you take a look over your shoulder at the big guy walking next to you, that's me.

There are red flags all over this one.

Wes Pollock