Skiploder
New member
Quoted from elsewhere:
At the NARBC Anaheim show in September of 2012 I was told by Brian Potter about the record search that was pulled on Ken Foose and what it contained. I was told at the time by Brian that Justin Mietz had mentioned to Erika Walsh that Ken had a criminal past and then Erika pulled Ken's records and found a disturbing criminal past. I told Ken about this information the day after the Anaheim show on our way to Baja, Mexico.
Ken then told me that this info was wrong and the record was erroneous. I communicated this via an email to Brian Potter from Mexico that same day. As you could imagine Ken and his wife Kim were quite upset and contacted Gary Bagnell, a USARK Board Member and Keith Morris from Zoo Med, as soon as they were able. I am told Ken filled them in on all the details of what went down. At this point to what I was told the only people that knew about this erroneous information about Ken was Brian Potter, Andrew Wyatt, Erika Walsh and I. Now of course Gary and Keith were made aware of this as well. A USARK board meeting was immediately planned to happen during the Tinley Park NARBC show to address this situation and how to deal with it.
On 10-12-12 the day of set up in Tinley Park Andrew Wyatt told Kim Lucas from Gorgeous Gecko that Ken Foose was a convicted sex offender. Kim Lucas waited until Saturday evening 10-13-12 to tell Kim Bell out of concern about an upcoming trip Kim Lucas was going to take with Ken Foose and her children to Peru. Kim Lucas told Kim Bell that she was concerned for John Mack's son and John’s girlfriend’s two kids that were going on the trip as well with Ken and was distraught on her promise to Andrew not to tell anyone of what she was told and what she should do.
Kim Bell then immediately texted me to come to the bar. I finished the PIJAC/USARK auction and went to the bar to get filled in. I then texted Brian Potter to come to the bar and then we both confronted Kim Lucas who was also there at the hotel bar to get all the details of what was said by Andrew. I could speculate on why Andrew did this but this would be no better than what most people are doing on the internet currently. Brian Potter contacted Erika Walsh on Saturday night to fill her in on what had happened as the erroneous information originally came from her. Erika contacted Andrew and when she asked him about the statement he made to Kim Lucas Andrew said he would not discuss it. This is what Erika told Brian Potter and I.
Sunday morning 10-14-12 I approached Todd Goodman, a USARK board member, and filled him in. He then contacted Keith Morris and Gary Bagnell, not sure which order as Gary was on vacation. Needless to say Todd was incredibly upset over this news. Both Brian and I told Todd that Andrew needed to be sent home by USARK. After my conversation with Todd, I then discussed with Brian and Erika in our show office Sunday morning what was going to happen and how this would be dealt with including sending Andrew home.
We were all very upset over what this could have done to Ken and what is would most definitely do to the industry. All three of us came to the same conclusion that Andrew would have to be fired over it.
Now back to Todd. As the day progressed and Andrew was still there Brian and I approached Todd on several occasions to see what the holdup was on Andrew still being there. I was later told by Keith Morris that Gary had been calling Andrew's cell but Andrew would not answer. Gary finally instructed Keith to go over to Andrew and send him home. I was told by Keith personally that day it was done. I also saw Andrew leave the building before the end of the day.
My take on this whole story
There was some inaccurate criminal information on Ken Foose's record that was found out by Erika Walsh and she told it to Andrew Wyatt and Brian Potter.
My opinion is she did not do this to harm Ken but did this out of due diligence of what she felt was right. I do not agree with what Erika did but I do believe she meant no harm by it. I was later told that she helped to remove the erroneous information from Ken's record.
Erika has said on the internet in many places that Andrew was not asked to leave the show that day by a USARK board member. Erika knew that this was not accurate as she was in on all the details throughout the day Andrew was asked to leave. Erika's statement that, "a USARK board member did not send Andrew home",because Keith sent Andrew home and Keith was not a USARK board member is technically correct. Erika's statements purposely misled the public to false information. Gary instructed Keith to do this therefor a USARK board member did send Andrew home. Brian and I would have sent Andrew home if USARK did not, but USARK did send Andrew home. Want to make this crystal clear.
Andrew Wyatt, as far as I know, was not at fault what so ever in any detail of this story until 10-12-12 on Friday where he did the unthinkable and slandered someone with horrific information that he knew to be untrue. He later agrees to resign from USARK and denies/misleads the public on his interviews that he left USARK for philosophical differences implying that now he can devote his time towards large constrictors, crocodilians and venomous reptiles. In my opinion, most people came to the conclusion that his hands were tied by the USARK board in defending large constrictors, venomous and crocodilians and he chose not to correct that assumption. This assumption by some on the internet may help him fund his knew organization and he knew that.
Over the last couple of years I have found myself at odds with the constant negative incorrect information given to the public by Andrew Wyatt about how horrible PIJAC is. Many of the people out there that are up in arms about how PIJAC is not on our side is all because of the years of misleading information put out there about PIJAC by Andrew. PIJAC is a strong, established, and respected organization that is a great advocate for the herp hobby. If PIJAC was so bad, Brian and I would not be helping to fund them. Brian and I are both very informed in the happenings of both USARK and PIJAC. I have no issues with multiple groups out there fighting for our rights to keep the reptiles we all love. Brian and I have been helping to fund this fight with the help of all the great people that donate to our auctions from the very beginning of NARBC 12 years ago. What we cannot do is constantly throw our brother organizations under the bus in an effort to make the other group look better and maybe get more funding.
I have never heard PETA say anything bad about HSUS, and I never will. They are far too professional for that. We need to put all this behind us and all work together and stop saying negative statements and lies about the people fighting for our rights and save all that energy for the true enemies of misinformation... the animal rights groups.
I plan to continue my support of USARK and PIJAC alone. If another effective group comes on the horizon that can help our industry they will have my full support as well.
Thank you,
Bob Ashley
NARBC, ECO Wear, and the Chiricahua Desert Museum
P.S. My main reptile interest is venomous reptiles.
At the NARBC Anaheim show in September of 2012 I was told by Brian Potter about the record search that was pulled on Ken Foose and what it contained. I was told at the time by Brian that Justin Mietz had mentioned to Erika Walsh that Ken had a criminal past and then Erika pulled Ken's records and found a disturbing criminal past. I told Ken about this information the day after the Anaheim show on our way to Baja, Mexico.
Ken then told me that this info was wrong and the record was erroneous. I communicated this via an email to Brian Potter from Mexico that same day. As you could imagine Ken and his wife Kim were quite upset and contacted Gary Bagnell, a USARK Board Member and Keith Morris from Zoo Med, as soon as they were able. I am told Ken filled them in on all the details of what went down. At this point to what I was told the only people that knew about this erroneous information about Ken was Brian Potter, Andrew Wyatt, Erika Walsh and I. Now of course Gary and Keith were made aware of this as well. A USARK board meeting was immediately planned to happen during the Tinley Park NARBC show to address this situation and how to deal with it.
On 10-12-12 the day of set up in Tinley Park Andrew Wyatt told Kim Lucas from Gorgeous Gecko that Ken Foose was a convicted sex offender. Kim Lucas waited until Saturday evening 10-13-12 to tell Kim Bell out of concern about an upcoming trip Kim Lucas was going to take with Ken Foose and her children to Peru. Kim Lucas told Kim Bell that she was concerned for John Mack's son and John’s girlfriend’s two kids that were going on the trip as well with Ken and was distraught on her promise to Andrew not to tell anyone of what she was told and what she should do.
Kim Bell then immediately texted me to come to the bar. I finished the PIJAC/USARK auction and went to the bar to get filled in. I then texted Brian Potter to come to the bar and then we both confronted Kim Lucas who was also there at the hotel bar to get all the details of what was said by Andrew. I could speculate on why Andrew did this but this would be no better than what most people are doing on the internet currently. Brian Potter contacted Erika Walsh on Saturday night to fill her in on what had happened as the erroneous information originally came from her. Erika contacted Andrew and when she asked him about the statement he made to Kim Lucas Andrew said he would not discuss it. This is what Erika told Brian Potter and I.
Sunday morning 10-14-12 I approached Todd Goodman, a USARK board member, and filled him in. He then contacted Keith Morris and Gary Bagnell, not sure which order as Gary was on vacation. Needless to say Todd was incredibly upset over this news. Both Brian and I told Todd that Andrew needed to be sent home by USARK. After my conversation with Todd, I then discussed with Brian and Erika in our show office Sunday morning what was going to happen and how this would be dealt with including sending Andrew home.
We were all very upset over what this could have done to Ken and what is would most definitely do to the industry. All three of us came to the same conclusion that Andrew would have to be fired over it.
Now back to Todd. As the day progressed and Andrew was still there Brian and I approached Todd on several occasions to see what the holdup was on Andrew still being there. I was later told by Keith Morris that Gary had been calling Andrew's cell but Andrew would not answer. Gary finally instructed Keith to go over to Andrew and send him home. I was told by Keith personally that day it was done. I also saw Andrew leave the building before the end of the day.
My take on this whole story
There was some inaccurate criminal information on Ken Foose's record that was found out by Erika Walsh and she told it to Andrew Wyatt and Brian Potter.
My opinion is she did not do this to harm Ken but did this out of due diligence of what she felt was right. I do not agree with what Erika did but I do believe she meant no harm by it. I was later told that she helped to remove the erroneous information from Ken's record.
Erika has said on the internet in many places that Andrew was not asked to leave the show that day by a USARK board member. Erika knew that this was not accurate as she was in on all the details throughout the day Andrew was asked to leave. Erika's statement that, "a USARK board member did not send Andrew home",because Keith sent Andrew home and Keith was not a USARK board member is technically correct. Erika's statements purposely misled the public to false information. Gary instructed Keith to do this therefor a USARK board member did send Andrew home. Brian and I would have sent Andrew home if USARK did not, but USARK did send Andrew home. Want to make this crystal clear.
Andrew Wyatt, as far as I know, was not at fault what so ever in any detail of this story until 10-12-12 on Friday where he did the unthinkable and slandered someone with horrific information that he knew to be untrue. He later agrees to resign from USARK and denies/misleads the public on his interviews that he left USARK for philosophical differences implying that now he can devote his time towards large constrictors, crocodilians and venomous reptiles. In my opinion, most people came to the conclusion that his hands were tied by the USARK board in defending large constrictors, venomous and crocodilians and he chose not to correct that assumption. This assumption by some on the internet may help him fund his knew organization and he knew that.
Over the last couple of years I have found myself at odds with the constant negative incorrect information given to the public by Andrew Wyatt about how horrible PIJAC is. Many of the people out there that are up in arms about how PIJAC is not on our side is all because of the years of misleading information put out there about PIJAC by Andrew. PIJAC is a strong, established, and respected organization that is a great advocate for the herp hobby. If PIJAC was so bad, Brian and I would not be helping to fund them. Brian and I are both very informed in the happenings of both USARK and PIJAC. I have no issues with multiple groups out there fighting for our rights to keep the reptiles we all love. Brian and I have been helping to fund this fight with the help of all the great people that donate to our auctions from the very beginning of NARBC 12 years ago. What we cannot do is constantly throw our brother organizations under the bus in an effort to make the other group look better and maybe get more funding.
I have never heard PETA say anything bad about HSUS, and I never will. They are far too professional for that. We need to put all this behind us and all work together and stop saying negative statements and lies about the people fighting for our rights and save all that energy for the true enemies of misinformation... the animal rights groups.
I plan to continue my support of USARK and PIJAC alone. If another effective group comes on the horizon that can help our industry they will have my full support as well.
Thank you,
Bob Ashley
NARBC, ECO Wear, and the Chiricahua Desert Museum
P.S. My main reptile interest is venomous reptiles.
