Warnings about phony veterinarian flood Web

People posted on craigslist.org and a variety of pet-oriented Internet forums to spread the word about South Jersey Small Animal Rescue and "Dr. Danielle Smith," who had taken animals, set up adoptions and prescribed drugs.

This person, however, was neither a veterinarian nor a woman, authorities said. Rather, it was really 26-year-old ex-con Daniel C. Tyce, whom Vineland police arrested on charges of practicing without a license.

"SCAM," several posts proclaimed.

Some warned others to stay away from South Jersey Small Animal Rescue. Others simply told their story, such as one person who wrote of paying $300 to adopt a dog from Cameroon and another who gave Tyce two chinchillas for adoption.

Egg Harbor Township resident Leah Drobel warned fellow ferret lovers about Tyce, whom Drobel found through an Internet search for ferret adoptions. Tyce set up Drobel with what was supposed to be a young ferret, but Drobel said she learned later the ferret was much older after discovering its teeth problems.

Drobel recalled visiting Tyce's business on Seashore Road in Lower Township, where separate rooms were set up for birds, lizards and ferrets. Tyce and close friend Sam Smith later abandoned the home for Atlantic City, but Tyce claimed it had burned down and solicited donations from clients and on Web sites such as Craigslist, according to people who did business with Tyce.

"I didn't send anything," Drobel said. "It just didn't seem right."

People from Salem County to Cape May contacted police to report their encounters with Tyce. While others focused on the bizarre nature of Tyce's double life, most of these people were more concerned about their animals and the potentially fraudulent collection of funds by Tyce.

Authorities arrested Tyce on an unrelated charge last week. Tyce was due to be released, but Vineland police then charged Tyce with running an illegal medical practice Friday.

Tyce served three years in state prison for credit-card fraud before gaining release from South Woods State Prison in 2006. Prior to that, Tyce was charged with forgery in Burlington County in 2000 and in Cape May County in 2001, according to Atlantic County records. The first charge was downgraded to a municipal offense and the second was dropped.

In 2003, Tyce began a state prison sentence for a 2000 credit card fraud, according to state records.

Tyce's prison term at South Woods overlapped that of Sam Smith, a sex offender who also was released from South Woods in 2006. Smith is listed as a veterinary technician on South Jersey Small Animal Rescue's Web site, and Tyce referred to "Sam" as a husband in conversations with clients and the Upper Township Gazette for a 2007 published article.

Sam Smith is also under investigation, but he has not been arrested.

South Jersey Small Animal Rescue operated openly as recently as this month, when it posted an ad on Craigslist offering three birds for adoption.

The group's business collapsed, however, after Vineland resident Andrea Cappellucci began investigating Tyce, whom she knew as Danielle Smith, after questioning numerous aspects of Tyce's business. Cappellucci contacted authorities with her findings, and police arrested Tyce earlier this month.

Staff writer Lynda Cohen contributed to this report.