Texas veterinarian gets 44 years for drug charges

David J. Snyder, DVM, 54, of Terrell, Texas, started the New Year with a 44-year prison sentence on charges related to drug possession. The now-former veterinarian was arrested Feb. 28, 2012, when a Kaufman County deputy pulled Snyder over and found syringes and several bottles of methamphetamine along with $636 in cash in Snyder’s vehicle.

Snyder was charged with possession of a substance under 1 gram. A judge refused bond due to a previous arrest July 14, when Snyder was also charged with drug possession. He also deemed Snyder a serious flight risk.

According to reports, drug possession has frequented Snyder’s past. In 2011, a Texas Department of Public Safety state trooper found him in possession of ketamine--this after he forfeited his controlled substance certification to the Drug Enforcement Agency a month prior. In 1991, Snyder was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of methamphetamine distribution. The Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners revoked his veterinary license effective January 1992.

Snyder apparently regained his license, operating Highway 34 Animal Hospital in Terrell, until he surrendered his license in March after his February 2012 arrest. Local reports say the veterinary clinic is now up for sale.