Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Pet Python Kills Man in Indiana

Sep 5, 11:27 AM EDT

Pet Python Kills Man in Indiana

LANESVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- A 14-foot pet python crushed its owner to death, authorities said Tuesday after finding the snake loose in a southern Indiana shed with the man's body.

Patrick Von Allmen, 23, was found Monday evening in the shed near Lanesville, about 15 miles west of Louisville, Ky.

A medical examiner determined that the death was consistent with asphyxiation caused by compression of the neck and chest, said Conservation Officer Mark Farmer.

"When you're dealing with a wild animal species, you take on a certain amount of risk," he said.

Von Allmen had told family members he was going to treat the snake for a medical condition, farmer said. He was alone in the shed with the python for about three hours before his body was found.

Relatives said Von Allmen had 10 to 12 years of experience handling reptiles, according to authorities. The family got the snake as a pet five months ago, Farmer said.

Indiana law does not restrict ownership of snakes, and the python was returned to the family.

©2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
Purchase this AP story for reprint.
Buy AP Photo Reprints

Find this article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PYTHON_OWNER_KILLED?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

TBO.com is Tampa Bay Online 2006 Media General, Inc. All rights reserved Member agreement and privacy statement

2 comments:

GUYK said...

I got this thing about snakes..I will not bother them provided they don't bother me but I damn sure will not keep one as a pet

k said...

Everyone in this little corner of the 'sphere has that snake thing. Me, I just don't get it. But I sure am glad to hear you don't go killing them on sight.

Cool.