High End Herps (Inquiry)

Has anybody heard anything on this? A little curious on those two missing people... I know it's a little old but I figured maybe since time had passed maybe someone had and didn't think about this thread.

april 21 2010

At a court appearance this week in Wood County, Beauchemin stated for the record that his real name is Damon James Heimen. A judge decreed that all of the snakes confiscated in last week's raid were now wards of the Humane Society of North Texas, and that Heimen owes them $4,000 for their care. Speaking of care, a snake expert told the court that the most of the snakes were underfed and dehydrated and that some of them suffered from "mouth rot."

Authorities from several law enforcement agencies and a handful of private-sector reptile experts raided the snake farm of David Beauchemin yesterday in Wood County. Before the day was done, the deputies, game wardens and employees of the Caldwell Zoo had hauled off 78 boas, anacondas and pythons ranging in length from four to 12 feet. One of the snakes -- an albino Burmese python, has a street value of $20,000 several hundred dollars.)

Beauchemin fled Louisiana after jumping bail on a similar case. The ill-coiffed, 45-year-old Cajun and his 23-year-old wife Tawni were arrested after a March 2010 raid at their combined home/place of business.

Make that businesses: Not only were they operating a snake farm with the unfortunate name High End Herps Inc. (which sounds like something you would catch from a Manhattan call girl), but also Happy Hounds Rescue, an animal shelter they advertised on Craigslist as a "germ free safe haven" for cats, dogs and other more conventional pets.

It was Happy Hounds that brought on their downfall. A woman told police she found the dog she entrusted to the Beauchemins for sale on Craigslist, and that complaint triggered the raid.

That woman's pooch might have been one of the lucky ones. Louisiana authorities now think that some of the puppies and kitties the Beauchemins pledged to shelter wound up as slowly digesting lumps in the bellies of the giant snakes. According to some reports, there had also been a rash of missing-animal complaints in the area after the Beauchemins set up shop.

"We found conditions relating to cruelty to animals," said an Allen Parish cop last year. "Sanitary conditions there were very poor. We have been seizing evidence that will be tested later in the lab to see if there is anything illegal pertaining to the animals."

Police say that David and Tawni Beauchemin were living in squalid conditions. They shared sleeping quarters with their reptiles in a snake barn, which did not have a flush toilet. They told police they burned their own feces in a barrel; as for the snake-shit, police say they pretty much just left it where it lay.

Marc Duhon, a Lafayette-based (legit) snake raiser, says that conditions were appalling. He helped authorities clean up High End Herps and characterizes the scene as "total chaos and filth."

"It was total Third World conditions in there," he says. "Just death everywhere, these reeking smells. I couldn't believe any animals were alive in there."

He says that Beauchemin also threatened him after his arrest. "He told me he was gonna blow my house up, burn it down, shoot me in the head and dance around like a demon," Duhon remembers. "He's a weird guy."

Charges are still pending in the Texas case. Beauchemin was extradited back to the swamps to face 22 counts of animal cruelty along with numerous other violations relating to improperly operating a snake farm, not to mention telephone harassment and cyberstalking charges.

Also known as: James Johnson, James Johnston, David James Beauchemin, Damon James Heyman/Haymen



oh man thats great. I have met many a people out there.....career criminals. I worked in a Prison for Psych. I just saw pics of his living conditions...read his sheet..This be my first in the reptile business...

Originally Posted by Skanakis

april 21 2010

At a court appearance this week in Wood County, Beauchemin stated for the record that his real name is Damon James Heimen. A judge decreed that all of the snakes confiscated in last week's raid were now wards of the Humane Society of North Texas, and that Heimen owes them $4,000 for their care. Speaking of care, a snake expert told the court that the most of the snakes were underfed and dehydrated and that some of them suffered from "mouth rot."

Authorities from several law enforcement agencies and a handful of private-sector reptile experts raided the snake farm of David Beauchemin yesterday in Wood County. Before the day was done, the deputies, game wardens and employees of the Caldwell Zoo had hauled off 78 boas, anacondas and pythons ranging in length from four to 12 feet. One of the snakes -- an albino Burmese python, has a street value of $20,000 several hundred dollars.)

Beauchemin fled Louisiana after jumping bail on a similar case. The ill-coiffed, 45-year-old Cajun and his 23-year-old wife Tawni were arrested after a March 2010 raid at their combined home/place of business.

Make that businesses: Not only were they operating a snake farm with the unfortunate name High End Herps Inc. (which sounds like something you would catch from a Manhattan call girl), but also Happy Hounds Rescue, an animal shelter they advertised on Craigslist as a "germ free safe haven" for cats, dogs and other more conventional pets.

It was Happy Hounds that brought on their downfall. A woman told police she found the dog she entrusted to the Beauchemins for sale on Craigslist, and that complaint triggered the raid.

That woman's pooch might have been one of the lucky ones. Louisiana authorities now think that some of the puppies and kitties the Beauchemins pledged to shelter wound up as slowly digesting lumps in the bellies of the giant snakes. According to some reports, there had also been a rash of missing-animal complaints in the area after the Beauchemins set up shop.

"We found conditions relating to cruelty to animals," said an Allen Parish cop last year. "Sanitary conditions there were very poor. We have been seizing evidence that will be tested later in the lab to see if there is anything illegal pertaining to the animals."

Police say that David and Tawni Beauchemin were living in squalid conditions. They shared sleeping quarters with their reptiles in a snake barn, which did not have a flush toilet. They told police they burned their own feces in a barrel; as for the snake-shit, police say they pretty much just left it where it lay.

Marc Duhon, a Lafayette-based (legit) snake raiser, says that conditions were appalling. He helped authorities clean up High End Herps and characterizes the scene as "total chaos and filth."

"It was total Third World conditions in there," he says. "Just death everywhere, these reeking smells. I couldn't believe any animals were alive in there."

He says that Beauchemin also threatened him after his arrest. "He told me he was gonna blow my house up, burn it down, shoot me in the head and dance around like a demon," Duhon remembers. "He's a weird guy."

Charges are still pending in the Texas case. Beauchemin was extradited back to the swamps to face 22 counts of animal cruelty along with numerous other violations relating to improperly operating a snake farm, not to mention telephone harassment and cyberstalking charges.

That was quite awhile ago. He has already been sentenced.

yeah i know.....still great read though.

Originally Posted by Skanakis

Beauchemin was extradited back to the swamps to face 22 counts of animal cruelty along with numerous other violations relating to improperly operating a snake farm, not to mention telephone harassment and cyberstalking charges.

Good job everyone.
That was a lot of hard work and a lot of years trying to get this guy out of our hobby.

Unfortunately, instead of focusing on the fact that we try to police our own and the fact that we try to clean up our own hobby and the fact that we are generally good caring people, the animal lovers and people haters focused on this one man and painted the rest of us with the same brush.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairba...exas_snake.php

Crime

Damon Heynen, East Texas Snake Farmer, Back in Court with True Name (and Weird Past) Revealed

By John Nova LomaxMon., May 30 2011 at 12:01 PM
Categories: Crime, Texas

Damon Heynen: Man of many names, and snakes

​Last month we brought you the story of an East Texas snake farmer law enforcement identified as David Beauchemin. In recent years, the 44-year-old proprietor of High End Herps has been accused of keeping 79 boas, pythons and other large exotic snakes in appalling conditions, and using Craigslist to obtain unwanted small pets to feed his reptiles.

Since then it has come to light that his name is not David Beauchemin, but Damon James Heynen, and that he is an ex-con who served six years in a California prison for manslaughter.

This is also far from the first or even second time he has run afoul of police and animal protection agencies.

What's more, he is highly, highly controversial among his fellow snake raisers, as this 220-page message board thread attests.

Last week in Wood County court, a judge awarded custody of Heynen's snakes to the Humane Society of North Texas and decreed that Heynen pay $4,000 for their care and feeding. Heymen was also fined $500 for keeping the snakes without a permit and is still in jail awaiting extradition to Louisiana, where he skipped out on a court date concerning 22 counts of animal cruelty that face him there.

But this ain't Heynen's first or second snake rodeo. Far from it.

Ten years ago, a complaint was lodged against Heynen by a neighbor who didn't like the four alligators -- named Jose, Beefer, Chiquita and Dusty -- that Heynen was keeping in a pond in his San Bernardino, California, backyard. Heynen admitted at the time that he lacked the necessary state permits to keep the carnivorous reptiles, but claimed to be exempt under a grandfather clause. He said then that the gators -- one of which was nine feet long and weighed 400 pounds -- were family heirlooms that had been in the family since about 1951.

By 2005, that gator congregation had grown to 32 and Heynen had taken them all on the lam. When he and a female companion were stopped by the Arizona Highway Patrol on Interstate 10 near the town of Casa Grande, an officer described Heynen's trailer as looking like something of a motorized Noah's Ark.

Not only were there all those gators, but also tortoises, chickens, rats, rabbits, dogs and more than 50 boa constrictors. The couple told cops they were passing through, attempting to relocate this menagerie from San Bernardino to Georgia.

At the time of his arrest in Texas, Heynen was using the identification of a Georgia man named James Johnston, who is officially listed as a missing person.

Heynen next surfaced in Louisiana, which is where we picked up the tale.

Police are still searching for Tawni Beauchemin, a much younger woman variously described as Heynen's wife and friend. Her purse was found on the scene when Heynen was arrested, but she lit out for parts unknown.

It took a lot of years and a lot of energy and a lot of nights tracking this guy through the internet by a lot of people. Thanks to the Police and all other agencies involved. Thank you to all of you as well who came through with some pertinent information and or got involved. May the powers that be, focus on the fact that we police our own. May they not paint us all with the same paintbrush. And may the many more like him also end up with the same fate.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

That was quite awhile ago. He has already been sentenced.

the last update I saw:

David James Beauchemin, 45, of Oakdale, Louisiana, who testified that his real name was Damon James Heyman in a hearing in Quitman, must serve a year in the state’s jail and pay a $1,000 fine.

When he was arrested in Quitman he was wanted on animal cruelty charges in Louisiana.

Heyman had received a two-year jail sentence, but the judge suspended 1 of the years. The fine must be paid within 60 days of his release of Heyman must serve another year in jail.

Charges are still pending in Wood County.

source: http://www.news-journal.com/woodcoun...15cda204d.html

Originally Posted by HerpVenue

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairba...exas_snake.php

It took a lot of years and a lot of energy and a lot of nights tracking this guy through the internet by a lot of people. Thanks to the Police and all other agencies involved. Thank you to all of you as well who came through with some pertinent information and or got involved. May the powers that be, focus on the fact that we police our own. May they not paint us all with the same paintbrush. And may the many more like him also end up with the same fate.

That blog post was from May 30, 2011.. so I think that is the most current article that is out there about him. Nice to see they posted a link to this thread in the article.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

the last update I saw:

David James Beauchemin, 45, of Oakdale, Louisiana, who testified that his real name was Damon James Heyman in a hearing in Quitman, must serve a year in the state’s jail and pay a $1,000 fine.

When he was arrested in Quitman he was wanted on animal cruelty charges in Louisiana.

Heyman had received a two-year jail sentence, but the judge suspended 1 of the years. The fine must be paid within 60 days of his release of Heyman must serve another year in jail.

Charges are still pending in Wood County.

source: http://www.news-journal.com/woodcoun...15cda204d.html

After they are done with him in Louisiana (I'm sure that will be soon, it was only a year), then Texas, I'm sure a few more places want him before he is let goe.

According to jerry Blalock of the Wood County Sherriff’s department, he and Wood County authorities were informed by police in California that Beauchemin’s true identity was that of Damon James Heynen. “We submitted fingerprints of his (Heynen) while in our custody and they matched those on file in California under a Damon Heynen,” said Blalock. Heynen faces 79 counts of animal cruelty in Wood County. According to testimony from Heynen, he went by another name because his real name revealed that he was charged with Manslaughter in California nearly 20 years ago. Heynen served 6 years in a California prison for this offense.

Blalock says Heynen is wanted under aliases in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois Louisiana and California.