Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) => Topic started by: Oscar on September 11, 2010, 02:26:24 AM
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Food supplies for the animals at the farm-like campus are low too.
From: Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds (http://http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/08/rescue-groups-claim-dozens-animals-abandoned-donal-ar-804936/), WSPA
Abbeville County, S.C. -- Joe Mann has been rescuing animals since he was a little boy. He's devoted his life savings to his ranch, Big Oaks Rescue Farm in Greenwood.
"I've spent close to $400,000 out here," said Mann.
Mann claimed on August 10th he learned of dozens of animals had been abandoned at a private residential group care organization for children. That facility closed in June, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Mann said the owner of the animals is Narvin Lichfield. He said in August Lichfield told him he could take home two colts, and seven horses.
"He was the first one I had permission to remove from Narvin Lichfield," said Mann.
Mann said he also rescued more than 50 sheep who were in bad shape.
"There is nothing but bone," said Mann as he rubbed his hand over the back of one of the sheep. "When we found them three couldn't even run."
We weren't able to get permission from the owner to step on the property, but Mann said it is a virtual graveyard.
"Nobody was left to take care of them," Mann said.
"It looks like the elephant graveyard where they go off to die," said the Executive Director of the Greenwood Humane Society, Karen Pettay. "It looks like animals just dropped right there."
Pettay said she helped Mann search the property for any other survivors. Pettay claimed Lichfield even showed up and acted like nothing was wrong.
"It was as if he was looking at a healthy bunch of animals and didn't know what the problem was," said Pettay.
Mann and Pettay said pictures they took on the property tell an entirely different story. They say thee have pictures of the carcasses of animals they believe recently have starved to death.
The most heartbreaking case, said Mann and Pettay, a colt that passed away just after being rescued.
"(The mare) had nothing to eat that would allow her to produce milk," Mann said.
"It's something we all stood back with tears in our eyes," Pettay said. "You saw her try to clean and wake it up and she started tapping it with her hoof."
The Abbeville County Sheriff's office said they have been visiting the property every week since June 30th following an unrelated report of stolen cattle. They claimed the animals appeared to have enough food and water.
Mann and Pettay aren't buying it.
"I was in shock at how these animals must have died," Pettay said. "It's a man made disaster."
We tried to contact Narvin Lichfield by phone and e-mail but he has not returned our calls.
According to the South Carolina Code of Laws, abandonment of animals is against the law. It is a misdemeanor crime with penalties of up to a $500 fine or 30 days in jail or both.
It seems that he treats the animals on the campus like the kids. The only difference is that the animals don't have to participate in therapy. We did support WSPA before we learned of this. I urge people to send a couple of cents directly to the farm where the animals are cared for now or to WSPA. You know where they came from. They deserve a better life.
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Like some of the former "students" some of the animals did not like it out to the real life:
Animal Bones, Carcasses Found At Closed School - Dozens Of Surviving Animals Rescued By Upstate Group (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39099878/ns/local_news-greenville_sc/), WYFF4.com, MsNBC, September 11 - 2010
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WOW.
Article quoted in the OP copied out... and there's also a 2:25 video news clip accessible at the link (GRAPHIC WARNING):
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WSPA.com
Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds (http://http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/08/rescue-groups-claim-dozens-animals-abandoned-donal-ar-804936/)
By Dianne Derby
Published: September 08, 2010
(http://http://www2.wspa.com/mgmedia/image/294/0/162434/animals-abandoned/)
One of several animals rescued in Donalds, South Carolina Credit: WSPA Staff
Abbeville County, S.C. -- Joe Mann has been rescuing animals since he was a little boy. He's devoted his life savings to his ranch, Big Oaks Rescue Farm in Greenwood.
"I've spent close to $400,000 out here," said Mann.
Mann claimed on August 10th he learned of dozens of animals had been abandoned at a private residential group care organization for children. That facility closed in June, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Mann said the owner of the animals is Narvin Lichfield. He said in August Lichfield told him he could take home two colts, and seven horses.
"He was the first one I had permission to remove from Narvin Lichfield," said Mann.
Mann said he also rescued more than 50 sheep who were in bad shape.
"There is nothing but bone," said Mann as he rubbed his hand over the back of one of the sheep. "When we found them three couldn't even run."
We weren't able to get permission from the owner to step on the property, but Mann said it is a virtual graveyard.
"Nobody was left to take care of them," Mann said.
"It looks like the elephant graveyard where they go off to die," said the Executive Director of the Greenwood Humane Society, Karen Pettay. "It looks like animals just dropped right there."
Pettay said she helped Mann search the property for any other survivors. Pettay claimed Lichfield even showed up and acted like nothing was wrong.
"It was as if he was looking at a healthy bunch of animals and didn't know what the problem was," said Pettay.
Mann and Pettay said pictures they took on the property tell an entirely different story. They say thee have pictures of the carcasses of animals they believe recently have starved to death.
The most heartbreaking case, said Mann and Pettay, a colt that passed away just after being rescued.
"(The mare) had nothing to eat that would allow her to produce milk," Mann said.
"It's something we all stood back with tears in our eyes," Pettay said. "You saw her try to clean and wake it up and she started tapping it with her hoof."
The Abbeville County Sheriff's office said they have been visiting the property every week since June 30th following an unrelated report of stolen cattle. They claimed the animals appeared to have enough food and water.
Mann and Pettay aren't buying it.
"I was in shock at how these animals must have died," Pettay said. "It's a man made disaster."
We tried to contact Narvin Lichfield by phone and e-mail but he has not returned our calls.
According to the South Carolina Code of Laws, abandonment of animals is against the law. It is a misdemeanor crime with penalties of up to a $500 fine or 30 days in jail or both.
WSPA ©2010 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company.
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Oh my God in Heaven - Let there be justice for this man - Justice like only You can provide.
And if such justice must wait - then act to stop him and his evil ways here and now, in what ever way is in keeping with Your will.
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"According to the South Carolina Code of Laws, abandonment of animals is against the law. It is a misdemeanor crime with penalties of up to a $500 fine or 30 days in jail or both."
OK - so lets all write the prosecutor's office, and the judge, explaining this man's history and respectfully request the maximum on each count - 500 fine and 30 days for each and every dead animal on the place, and each and every nearly dead animal on the place.
I'll try to let someone in Costa Rica know about this in the hope they will check on the animals there.
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Joe Mann has been rescuing animals since he was a little boy. He's devoted his life savings to his ranch, Big Oaks Rescue Farm in Greenwood.
Joe Mann's website: Big Oaks Rescue Farm (http://http://bigoaksrescuefarm.org/)
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Considerable mention of Narvin Litchfield in the comments here...
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Comments (http://http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/08/rescue-groups-claim-dozens-animals-abandoned-donal-ar-804936/) left for the above article, "Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=31139#p378443)" (by Dianne Derby; September 08, 2010; WSPA.com):
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Posted by sadbuttrue on Sept. 8, 2010 - 5:42 p.m.
This is so horrible. I have seen these animals and any person that can leave these innocent animals to die is not human. The coyotes had a unlimited supply of food to eat. There was 50 ducks and now there are 9. The baby colt never learned to walk and laid there ready to die. The mother would not leave it for food even tho she was starving herself. People this man is a monster. The sheriff won't comment on this situation? His men were out there time and time again. Why did they not see these animals? Or did they just not care whether they lived or died? Are these animals worthless? The beautiful horses were skinny and starving. There was no grass to eat anywhere. But this is the same man that was banned from his own school for child abuse. This man is the same man that was charged with sending kids from his school to Jamaica without the parents permission. Look up his name on Google. He is without a doubt heartless and a criminal. But the law says the animals are only worth a $500 fine. Where is the justice in this? There is none.
Posted by eddiebar2006 on Sept. 8, 2010 - 11 p.m.
Yeah sadbuttrue. About the time he started shipping kids to that place in Jamaica is when I got out of working for him. I wasnt having any part of that and then some other abuse allegations came up and he and his partner tried to get me to falsify documents to keep them out of trouble. I flat refused and would not lie for them. I was really shocked that they even suggested it. i cut my ties very soon thereafter and hope they get a good dose of justice on this one,.
[/list]
Posted by sabrina on Sept. 8, 2010 - 6:52 p.m.
Oh this breaks my heart. Animals are a precious gift...given to people to love and care for. Anyone who abuses the privledge of owning one needs to be dealt with as only God can. Even the most vile of us humans could never render a fitting punishment for such people as the ones responsible for this. Only God can...and will...on that last day...........signed Felix
Posted by eddiebar2006 on Sept. 8, 2010 - 11:05 p.m.
Well Felix, he hardly treated the kids there much better before he was closed down. As I stated in my previous comments, i cut my ties with him really quickly after learning about how he conducted business.
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Posted by Paige B. on Sept. 8, 2010 - 8:40 p.m.
you can send tax deductible donations to the Greenwood Humane Society, just make a note that its for the Rescue Farm.
http://gwdhumanesociety.org/flash.shtml (http://gwdhumanesociety.org/flash.shtml)[/list]
Posted by clpstak on Sept. 8, 2010 - 9:16 p.m.
Citizens should be outraged that South Carolina law is so lax that this man will not be punished if found guilty, merely inconvenienced. If you saw these animals you would know they have been severely neglected for a very long time. We should also be ASHAMED that our law enforcement officers have been at the place more than one time but never saw anything wrong. Please send donations to the Humane Society of Greenwood to help with the costs of care, feed & vet bills for these animals!
http://gwdhumanesociety.org/flash.shtml (http://gwdhumanesociety.org/flash.shtml) and note that it is for Big Oaks Rescue Farm. [/list]
Posted by eddiebar2006 on Sept. 8, 2010 - 10:54 p.m.
I have known this man for a number of years and made it a point to cut my ties a while back due to his questionable business deals . I have viewed Mr Litchfield as a menace in this area since then and regret that these charges carry no more weight than this. $500.00 is a drop in the bucket for this multi millionaire. I personally hope he at least does some jail time. These videos are heartbreaking. My last question would be "where is his business partner in all this?" Mr. Ron Cooley. As a citizen of Abbeville County and a former employee of Mr Lichfield and Mr Cooley, I am outraged but I must admit, I'm not shocked. Seems like business as usual for old Narvin Litchfield.
Posted by indep on Sept. 9, 2010 - 12:05 a.m.
Just think how long it takes for a beautiful healthy animal to become a skeleton ! The state needs to show up and PROSECUTE this horror story ! People will be watching this for a long time .....I hope
Posted by wspaviewer on Sept. 9, 2010 - 9:55 a.m.
Another horrific story of animal abuse and neglect in South Carolina...These crimes need to be taken seriously and the perpetrators punished to the fullest extent of the law. This is PURE EVIL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Karen B. on Sept. 11, 2010 - 3:31 p.m.
So what is being done about Narvin Litchfield? Have the *state* police been informed? If animal abandonment is a misdemeanor, are there not more serious charges for cruelty that rises to this level? Can he be charged and fined and jailed for *Each* Count? 500.00 and 30 days for each and every dead or dying animal?
For those who want to know more about this man and his history try ...googeling his name WWASP; WWASPS; Abuse; Costa Rica Charges child abuse.
Go to
http://www.fornits.com/ (http://www.fornits.com/) and put his name in the search bar.
Check out the collection of news paper stories found here: http://www.wwaspsinfo.net/ (http://www.wwaspsinfo.net/)
You may want to watch the PBS documentary "Whose watching the kids?" :
http://video.wttw.com/video/1430387622 (http://video.wttw.com/video/1430387622)
Or read the complaint that can be found here:
http://turleylaw.com/ (http://turleylaw.com/)
open recent news and filings, then open
WWASPS Fifth Amended Complaint January 15, 2010[/list]
Posted by Karen B. on Sept. 11, 2010 - 3:37 p.m.
I can not see an edit button, so, about this:
"For those who want to know more about this man and his history try ...googeling his name WWASP; WWASPS; Abuse; Costa Rica Charges child abuse."
For the benifit of those who don't google a lot, It should suggest his name Plus ; as in Narvin Litchfield wwasp Abuse and so on.
Use different spellings as this sometimes brings up a surprising amount of new information.
[/list]
WSPA ©2010 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company.
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Uggh, what a foul vile son of a bitch. I hope someone locks Narvin's decrepit ass in a dog cage for about a month.
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How about just do the same thing to him, that he does to his horses. Tie him to a post where he can not get away and let him starve to near death.
Oscar, thanks for posting this. I wish we did not have to see the "vile" SOB's handy work.
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How about just do the same thing to him, that he does to his horses. Tie him to a post where he can not get away and let him starve to near death.
Watch it now. You're talking about the same guy who Maximilian swears saved his life. The Lichfields just love kids.
Sorry Max. Couldn't resist.
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How about just do the same thing to him, that he does to his horses. Tie him to a post where he can not get away and let him starve to near death.
Watch it now. You're talking about the same guy who Maximilian swears saved his life. The Lichfields just love kids.
Sorry Max. Couldn't resist.
Well as you know, Joe Ricci was my savior and look how well that turned out. :(
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Article from the 2nd post (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=31139&p=378733#p378433) above copied out:
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msnbc.com
Animal Bones, Carcasses Found At Closed School (http://http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39099878/ns/local_news-greenville_sc/)
Dozens Of Surviving Animals Rescued By Upstate Group
WYFF4.com
updated 9/12/2010 12:24:35 PM ET
DUE WEST, S.C. — WYFF 4.com
Law officers and animal rescue groups in Greenwood and Abbeville Counties are looking into why dozens of animals were left for dead on the property of a now-closed school for troubled teens.
According to the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Carolina Springs Academy had their license revoked in April, 2009 for failure to comply with licensing regulations.
Officials at the Greenwood Humane Society said when the school closed, all the animals on the farmland were left behind.
The remains of more than 70 animals were found on the Due West property in varying states of decay. Dozens of starving animals were also found, many of them near death.
Joe Mann with Big Oak Rescue Farm said his group has taken in some of the surviving animals. Of the seven horses and two colts found, Mann said one was dead. He also counted 30 sheep carcasses, with 20 surviving animals. At least 41 out of the 50 ducks found on the property were also dead, Mann said.
A former Carolina Springs employee reported 32 cows or calves starved to death, according to Greenwood Humane Society Executive Director Karen Pettay. She said with all of the kudzu overgrowth, they only found a few of the carcasses.
The Abbeville Sheriff's Office is investigating this case.
© 2010 msnbc.com
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WTF is wrong with these people? Didn't this exact thing happen with the Sudweeks and the Whitmore Academy?
I can't watch the video. I just can't.
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I will never understand what drives people to abuse animals this way. There are so many other options. In a rural community like that school was in there are people who would drive and pick up these animals for free and make them part of their farms. There is no reason to leave them for dead and allow them to starve. The guy should be hung, but like that guy Vick who abused dogs (and now has a multimillion dollar contract with the Eagles) there will be those who will reward him instead…. Very sad.
...
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How about just do the same thing to him, that he does to his horses. Tie him to a post where he can not get away and let him starve to near death.
Watch it now. You're talking about the same guy who Maximilian swears saved his life. The Lichfields just love kids.
Sorry Max. Couldn't resist.
I never met this person the article is talking about. The people who worked at the program were just regular people, the kind of people who will never get articles written about them. They were doing a job and it seemed liked they cared about the kids, I don't know anything about this guy other than this article. Of course I don't agree with animal abuse, or child abuse. I've said this many times before.
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How about just do the same thing to him, that he does to his horses. Tie him to a post where he can not get away and let him starve to near death.
Watch it now. You're talking about the same guy who Maximilian swears saved his life. The Lichfields just love kids.
Sorry Max. Couldn't resist.
I never met this person the article is talking about. The people who worked at the program were just regular people, the kind of people who will never get articles written about them. They were doing a job and it seemed liked they cared about the kids, I don't know anything about this guy other than this article. Of course I don't agree with animal abuse, or child abuse. I've said this many times before.
The Litchfields (owners of WWASPS) are experts at child and animal abuse. Not sure how you could have missed at least one of those traits while at a WWASPS program. Damn near every one of 'em was shuttered for abuse and neglect of children.
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Courts could seize property, animals at abandoned facility for troubled youth (http://http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2010/09/10/news/a1091110%20auction.txt)
By ST. CLAIRE DONAGHY/ sdonaghy@indexjournal.com
Friday, September 10, 2010 7:10 PM EDT
DONALDS -- There is a possibility a civil matter between the owner of dozens of animals reported abandoned at a former facility for troubled youth and a landowner could result in the animals and other personal property being seized by the courts and sold at public auction to satisfy alleged debts.
Abbeville County Magistrate’s Court documents show plaintiff/landlord Ron Cooley, of Honea Path, filed an application and affidavit with the court stating defendant Narvin B. Lichfield owes delinquent rent totaling $21,000. Cooley’s affidavit, sworn before a notary public Aug. 23, states he owns the property at 86 Greenacres Lane, Donalds, and that Lichfield has been leasing the property for approximately nine years.
Attempts to reach Lichfield at a telephone number with a northern Utah area code Friday were unsuccessful. An automated message indicated the number was not accepting calls.
Cooley’s affidavit goes on to state “the electricity has been turned off since the end of June 2010. The property has been all but abandoned. I am asking the Court to allow me to seize some of his personal property left at the property to pay part of what is owed to me and to have him legally removed from the property.”
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Food supplies for the animals at the farm-like campus are low too.
From: Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds (http://http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/08/rescue-groups-claim-dozens-animals-abandoned-donal-ar-804936/), WSPA
Abbeville County, S.C. -- Joe Mann has been rescuing animals since he was a little boy. He's devoted his life savings to his ranch, Big Oaks Rescue Farm in Greenwood.
"I've spent close to $400,000 out here," said Mann.
Mann claimed on August 10th he learned of dozens of animals had been abandoned at a private residential group care organization for children. That facility closed in June, according to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
Mann said the owner of the animals is Narvin Lichfield. He said in August Lichfield told him he could take home two colts, and seven horses.
"He was the first one I had permission to remove from Narvin Lichfield," said Mann.
Mann said he also rescued more than 50 sheep who were in bad shape.
"There is nothing but bone," said Mann as he rubbed his hand over the back of one of the sheep. "When we found them three couldn't even run."
We weren't able to get permission from the owner to step on the property, but Mann said it is a virtual graveyard.
"Nobody was left to take care of them," Mann said.
"It looks like the elephant graveyard where they go off to die," said the Executive Director of the Greenwood Humane Society, Karen Pettay. "It looks like animals just dropped right there."
Pettay said she helped Mann search the property for any other survivors. Pettay claimed Lichfield even showed up and acted like nothing was wrong.
"It was as if he was looking at a healthy bunch of animals and didn't know what the problem was," said Pettay.
Mann and Pettay said pictures they took on the property tell an entirely different story. They say thee have pictures of the carcasses of animals they believe recently have starved to death.
The most heartbreaking case, said Mann and Pettay, a colt that passed away just after being rescued.
"(The mare) had nothing to eat that would allow her to produce milk," Mann said.
"It's something we all stood back with tears in our eyes," Pettay said. "You saw her try to clean and wake it up and she started tapping it with her hoof."
The Abbeville County Sheriff's office said they have been visiting the property every week since June 30th following an unrelated report of stolen cattle. They claimed the animals appeared to have enough food and water.
Mann and Pettay aren't buying it.
"I was in shock at how these animals must have died," Pettay said. "It's a man made disaster."
We tried to contact Narvin Lichfield by phone and e-mail but he has not returned our calls.
According to the South Carolina Code of Laws, abandonment of animals is against the law. It is a misdemeanor crime with penalties of up to a $500 fine or 30 days in jail or both.
It seems that he treats the animals on the campus like the kids. The only difference is that the animals don't have to participate in therapy. We did support WSPA before we learned of this. I urge people to send a couple of cents directly to the farm where the animals are cared for now or to WSPA. You know where they came from. They deserve a better life.
Pretty much how he acts when he gets caught abusing kids. "What?? Should I not have done that?? Was that wrong??"
Posted by eddiebar2006 on Sept. 8, 2010 - 11 p.m.
Yeah sadbuttrue. About the time he started shipping kids to that place in Jamaica is when I got out of working for him. I wasnt having any part of that and then some other abuse allegations came up and he and his partner tried to get me to falsify documents to keep them out of trouble. I flat refused and would not lie for them. I was really shocked that they even suggested it. i cut my ties very soon thereafter and hope they get a good dose of justice on this one,.
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How about just do the same thing to him, that he does to his horses. Tie him to a post where he can not get away and let him starve to near death.
Watch it now. You're talking about the same guy who Maximilian swears saved his life. The Lichfields just love kids.
Sorry Max. Couldn't resist.
I never met this person the article is talking about. The people who worked at the program were just regular people, the kind of people who will never get articles written about them. They were doing a job and it seemed liked they cared about the kids, I don't know anything about this guy other than this article. Of course I don't agree with animal abuse, or child abuse. I've said this many times before.
And yet it seems the "regular people" who worked at CSA didn't lift a finger to help those animals. All it would have taken is a phone call to the state. Like Milton noted, the vast majority of people will inflict pain on others if an authority figure says it's ok. If there were bones around the property it would seem as if this sort of thing was not merely neglect after the shutdown of the school, but systemic even when the place was still open.
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WTF is wrong with these people? Didn't this exact thing happen with the Sudweeks and the Whitmore Academy?
Yup. And it also happened at the Sudweeks farm in Canada. Amazing how similar WWASP schools are to the ones Sue Scheff markets as "safe" alternatives. I wonder if this sort of thing is inevitable when you invite "equine therapy" into the industry. I mean, if people abuse kids for a living, why expect them to treat horses or dogs any better.
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They might have tried to report it Psy.
I once worked in a pet shop that closed it's doors and left the animals inside to die. Me and another employee called every agency we could reporting it but nothing was done until the stink got bad enough that Mall customers where complaining.
And it says in that first article the cops where on the grounds but reported nothing amiss.
I'd say look close at whose got fat pockets and you'll know who to blame for the lack of interest.
Yup. And it also happened at the Sudweeks farm in Canada. Amazing how similar WWASP schools are to the ones Sue Scheff markets as "safe" alternatives. I wonder if this sort of thing is inevitable when you invite "equine therapy" into the industry. I mean, if people abuse kids for a living, why expect them to treat horses or dogs any better.
Yep.
And don't forget the reports of animal cruelty at Majestic Ranch and Steve Fredricson's little dog being thrown off a cliff.
Just awful.
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WYFF TV Abandoned Animal Investigation At A Former Upstate School (http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oiKVmuQI54)
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...the vast majority of people will inflict pain on others if an authority figure says it's ok.
See also (amongst many other threads of this ilk):
- Zimbardo's Mind Control piece · viewtopic.php?f=43&t=20836 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=20836)
- Stanley Milgram, on 'Obedience' · viewtopic.php?f=43&t=21676 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=21676)
- Replicating Milgram's Torture Experiment · viewtopic.php?f=9&t=26461 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=26461)
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WYFF TV Abandoned Animal Investigation At A Former Upstate School (http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oiKVmuQI54)
Thanks. Archived copy here (http://http://www.fornits.com/WWASP/Abandoned%20Animal%20Investigation%20At%20A%20Former%20Upstate%20School.mp4) (mp4).
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Prosecutor ask SLED help in animal cruelty case (http://http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/sep/21/prosecutor-ask-sled-help-animal-cruelty-case/)
Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace called SLED’s Piedmont District field office last week in connection with the starving horses and sheep that were rescued in August from a 450-acre tract near Due West in Abbeville County.
A number of decomposing livestock carcasses also were found on the property and Peace said he is hoping that SLED can provide a forensic veterinarian to investigate the case.
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An older article that we missed, which provides some info/insight as to the nature of the dispute between Ron Cooley and Narvin Lichfield:
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WSPA.com
Rescued Animals in Abbeville County Could Be Seized To Satisfy Debt (http://http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/15/rescued-animals-abbeville-county-could-be-seized-s-ar-835072/)
By Dianne Derby
Published: September 15, 2010
Dozens of animals rescued from a farm in Abbeville County could be taken back to pay off a $21,000 debt owed to the landlord.
Last week the Greenwood Humane Society told us the animals were left at a property on in Abbeville County. (Click here (http://http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/08/rescue-groups-claim-dozens-animals-abandoned-donal-ar-804936/) to watch story). Big Oaks Rescue Farm in Greenwood and the Greenwood Humane Society took pictures of animal carcasses on the property, saying the animals starved to death.
7 On Your Side has learned the landlord, Ron Cooley, has filed an application and affidavit with the Abbeville County Magistrate Court to get back $21,000 dollars in rent he claimed is owed to him from Narvin Lichfield. Lichfield is the man the Greenwood Humane Society says owns the animals.
Lichfield had until 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 15th to ask for a hearing but the court had not received any response by close of business that day.
The Abbeville County Chief Magistrate Judge, G.T. Ferguson, said it may be a couple more days before any decision is made by the landlord about how he wants to proceed. News Channel 7 will continue to follow the court proceedings.
WSPA ©2010 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC.
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Why is it that so many cruel, sick fucks end up running programs? It's a common thread.
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Why is it that so many cruel, sick fucks end up running programs? It's a common thread.
To be fair, I think some folks get into this binnis with the best of intentions. However, those folks don't last, or they change... Having so much control over other individuals, let alone adolescents, well... 'nuff said.
I do think it attracts narcissistic megalomaniacs, though, when it comes to the "founder" category! :twofinger:
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Continuing coverage of the dispute between Ron Cooley and Narvin Lichfield:
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Anderson Independent Mail
Posted September 16, 2010 at 7:18 p.m.
Attorneys say they have settled dispute over land where animals were rescued (http://http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/sep/16/attorneys-say-they-have-settled-dispute-over-land/)
ABBEVILLE COUNTY — Attorneys say they have settled a legal dispute involving a 450-acre tract in Abbeville County where dozens of starving animals were rescued last month.
Joe Mann, who spearheaded the rescue of eight horses and 40 sheep from the property, said he is relieved that the case's resolution will not affect his efforts to restore the animals' health. Mann is president of the Greenwood County Humane Society's board of directors, He said numerous people have contacted him about adopting the horses and sheep that he rescued.
"This is the worst case of animal abuse I've ever been involved in," said Mann, who photographed the decomposing corpses of cattle, horses and sheep when he first visited the property last month.
Mann said he was concerned that the fate of the animals that were rescued would become entangled in the dispute between Ron Cooley and Narvin Lichfield, who has been identified as the owner of the malnourished livestock. Cooley said in court documents filed in Abbeville County that Lichfield owed him $21,000 in past-due rent.
Attorneys for both men confirmed Thursday that the case has been settled.
Cooley said Thursday that Lichfield has agreed to repay him. He also said he has no interest in taking possession of the animals that were found on the property.
© 2010 Anderson Independent Mail.
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my pops died in 86. He was an Irish immigrant,and functionally illiterae. However ,he once told me that the only way you could reall judge a man, was by how he treated his horse...was he wrong?
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an besides, come spring those sheep will be some kinda tasty!!!!!!!! Mint jelly mmm....mmm
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my pops died in 86. He was an Irish immigrant,and functionally illiterae. However ,he once told me that the only way you could reall judge a man, was by how he treated his horse...was he wrong?
Ooh... personally, I think you could also include someone's dog, or pretty much any other domesticated animal someone is very close to... Other than that, I agree with your pops on this one.
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"Breaking News" from Lon:
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Breaking News
Posted: Sep 21, 2010
Confirmed - Carolina Springs Academy Closed (http://http://www.strugglingteens.com/artman/publish/CarolinaSpringsAcademyBN_100921.shtml)
Compiled by Lon Woodbury
September 21, 2010
Although we have been hearing through the Grapevine for some time that the controversial Carolina Springs Academy in South Carolina (part of the WWASPS collection of schools) had been closed, we had been unable to find any reputable confirmation or information on that on the Internet. However, recent news stories on Sept. 10th confirmed that it had indeed been closed down, with obviously some confusion and rancor accompanying the April 2009 closing. See stories One (http://http://www.wyff4.com/news/24956710/detail.html) and Two (http://http://www.indexjournal.com/articles/2010/09/10/news/a1091110%20auction.txt). Not only is there still an issue of abandoned animals, but also legal action regarding unpaid rent for the property.
The owner of the school is identified as Narvin Lichfield of Utah, who had also been an owner of the now closed Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica. The last known on site administrator of Carolina Springs Academy was Elaine Davis.
Both Carolina Springs Academy and Narvin Lichfield have been involved with the controversial World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), which is the target of an ongoing lawsuit by the Turley Law Firm of Dallas Texas (http://http://turleylaw.com/PDF/2009.01.15%20Wood%20-%20PL%20-%205th%20Amd%20Complaint%20-%20Without%20Claims.pdf). The copy of the latest amended version can be found at turleylaw.com, under Recent News and Filings. This version is the Fifth Amended Complaint dated January 15, 2010.
Copyright ©2010, Woodbury Reports, Inc.
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Here's an updated version (different link) of the full article that ThomasC excerpted (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=31139&start=15#p380095) earlier:
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Prosecutor asks for SLED help in animal cruelty case (http://http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/sep/21/prosecutor-asks-sled-help-animal-cruelty-case/)
Kirk Brown · Anderson Independent Mail
Posted September 21, 2010 at 7:04 p.m.
ABBEVILLE — A prosecutor said Tuesday that he has asked the State Law Enforcement Division for assistance in investigating animal cruelty allegations at the site of a former boarding school.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace called SLED's Piedmont District field office last week about the horses and sheep that were removed in August from a 450-acre tract near Due West in Abbeville County.
A number of decomposing livestock carcasses also were found on the property and Peace said he is hoping that SLED can provide a forensic veterinarian to investigate the case.
Peace's request came as a surprise to Chief Deputy Marion T. Johnson of the Abbeville County Sheriff's Office. Johnson said that an animal control officer had been monitoring the well-being of the animals at the former Carolina Springs Academy boarding school since June.
"The animals were not being deprived of food and water," Johnson said. He also said that the animals were removed from the property without the owner's permission.
Joe Mann, who spearheaded the removal of seven horses and more than 40 sheep from the property, disputed Johnson's comments.
Mann said that Narvin Lichfield, the owner of the horses and sheep, gave him permission to rescue them.
"The animals were dying," said Mann, who is president of the Greenwood County Humane Society's board of directors.
Mann said a foal died in his arms on the property because its mother was too weak to provide nourishment. He also said that the sheep had eaten the bark off trees on the property in a desperate bid to find food.
The horses and sheep that Mann removed from the property are being cared for at his ranch and in another landowner's pasture.
Lichfield and his attorney could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Lichfield, who was the founder of the academy, has not been charged in the case of the animals. The school has been closed since earlier this year.
© 2010 Anderson Independent Mail.
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National animal rights group wants SLED to investigate Abbeville County case (http://http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/sep/29/national-animal-rights-group-wants-sled-investigat/)
Kirk Brown · Anderson Independent Mail
Posted September 29, 2010 at 4:57 p.m., updated September 29, 2010 at 4:57 p.m.
ABBEVILLE — A national animal rights group attorney is urging the State Law Enforcement Division to take charge of an investigation into the mistreatment of livestock at a former boarding school in Abbeville County.
"I don't understand why state law enforcement is not getting involved," said Dana Campbell of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. "We need a criminal investigation."
Several starving horses and about 40 malnourished sheep were rescued from a 450-acre tract near Due West in August by Joe Mann, who is president of the Greenwood County Humane Society’s board of directors. Mann also discovered the skeletal remains of numerous livestock on the site where the now-closed Carolina Springs Academy was located.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace asked for SLED's assistance in the case earlier this month. He said Wednesday that he has not heard back from the agency on his request for the appointment of a forensic veterinarian.
"I've done everything I can do," Peace said.
SLED spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons indicated in an email Wednesday that she was checking on the status of Peace's request.
Campbell, a former prosecutor who is recognized as a national expert in animal law, said she has consulted with Peace and Mann about the case. She said she also plans to contact SLED officials today.
Campbell said one of her main concerns is that no steps have been taken to secure the area where the animals were found.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund is a California-based organization that was formed in 1979 to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals through the legal system.
In a related development, Abbeville County Sheriff's Detective Patrick Thompson and an Abbeville County animal control officer visited Mann's Greenwood County ranch on Tuesday to photograph the sheep that he rescued.
Mann said the encounter ended acrimoniously, adding that he still does not believe Abbeville County authorities are conducting a thorough investigation.
Det. Thompson declined to respond to Mann's comments, saying only that his investigation of the case is still pending and that no charges have been filed.
Narvin Lichfield, the founder of Carolina Springs Academy who has been identified as the owner of the horses and sheep, and his attorney could not be reached Wednesday.
© 2010 Anderson Independent Mail.
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Abbeville County Council members upset over animal abuse case (http://http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/12/abbeville-county-council-members-upset-over-animal/)
Kirk Brown · Anderson Independent Mail
Posted October 12, 2010 at 5:19 p.m.
ABBEVILLE — Members of the Abbeville County Council expressed dismay Tuesday regarding the malnourished and dead livestock that were discovered at a former boarding school.
"Those animals should never have went through that," council member Ernest Ray Gunnells said.
His comments came after a Monday night meeting in which council members viewed dozens of photographs of starving horses and sheep and dead cattle at the now-closed Carolina Springs Academy near Due West.
The photographs were shown during a presentation by Joe Mann to the county council. Mann, who is president of the Greenwood County Humane Society's board of directors, rescued several starving horses and about 40 malnourished sheep from the 450-acre tract after learning of their plight in August.
"The council is very concerned," said Gunnells, who called Mann's presentation "terribly disturbing."
County council member Oscar Klugh said he also was troubled by the photographs.
"Whoever is responsible should be tracked down," Klugh said.
Mann said he and a group of about 20 concerned people left Monday's meeting after the presentation to the council.
Later in the meeting, Abbeville County Sheriff Charles Goodwin spoke to council members about the livestock at the former boarding school, interim county director Barry Devore said.
Goodwin, who was unavailable for comment Tuesday, told the council that the animals had access to food and water, Devore said. The sheriff also emphasized that no one filed a complaint with his office concerning the animals, Devore said.
In addition, Goodwin said that sheriff's officials were denied access to the rescued horses and sheep when they visited Mann's ranch, Devore said.
"It appears that the sheriff and Mr. Mann are on different pages," Klugh said. "I would like to have more information."
Mann on Tuesday disputed Goodwin's comments about his refusal to cooperate with Abbeville County sheriff's officials who went to his ranch last month.
"I didn't run them off," Mann said.
Mann also expressed frustration that no one is being held accountable for what he previously described as the worse case of animal cruelty he has ever seen.
"It's been two months and nobody has been charged," Mann said.
Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace asked the State Law Enforcement Division to help investigate the case in September. Peace said Tuesday that he still has not heard back from SLED on his request for a forensic veterinarian.
"I have done everything I can do," Peace said.
Narvin Lichfield, the Carolina Springs Academy founder who Mann says gave him permission to remove the malnourished animals in August, could not be reached Tuesday.
© 2010 Anderson Independent Mail.
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Owner denies animals mistreated on Abbeville property (http://http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/dec/03/owner-denies-animals-mistreated-abbeville-property/)
By Kirk Brown · Anderson Independent Mail
Posted December 3, 2010 at 5:17 p.m.
ABBEVILLE COUNTY — Narvin Lichfield says a Humane Society official wrongfully seized his horses and sheep and he wants them returned.
Lichfield said his attorney has asked Joe Mann to bring back several horses and about 40 sheep that were taken from a 450-acre tract near Due West in Abbeville County. The property served as the campus for Carolina Springs Academy, a boarding school opened by Lichfield in 1998 that is now closed.
Lichfield said Mann, who is president of the Greenwood Humane Society's board of directors, intentionally misled him to obtain permission to remove the animals.
"He trespassed on my property," Lichfield said. "He misrepresented the condition of my animals."
Lichfield also said the animals that Mann removed from his property are worth $100,000.
Mann, who is recovering from a recent surgery, issued a brief response in an e-mail Friday.
"The animals were abandoned, starving and dying and after receiving permission from Lichfield to remove them, they were removed," Mann said. "They are now healthy, happy and safe and I have no further comment on the matter."
Mann has previously said that he received an anonymous tip in August about starving horses and sheep on the Carolina Springs Academy property. Upon visiting the property, Mann said, he discovered "the worst case of animal abuse I've been involved in."
Besides finding malnourished livestock, Mann said, he photographed numerous skeletal remains on the property.
After consulting with Mann, Eighth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace asked the State Law Enforcement Division for assistance in investigating allegations of animal cruelty at the Carolina Springs property. A national animal rights group also expressed interest in the case.
Abbeville County Council members voiced concern about the fate of livestock at Carolina Springs Academy after viewing Mann's photos at an Oct. 11 meeting.
During an interview Thursday night, Lichfield denied that any livestock on his property had been abandoned, neglected or abused. He said Elaine Davis, the former director of Carolina Springs Academy, fed the animals regularly.
"They're my animals — they're my babies," Lichfield said. "I love animals."
When he was first contacted by Mann in August, Lichfield said, he gave him permission to remove some ailing sheep and a Peruvian stallion.
After returning from a trip to Utah, Lichfield said, he visited his property in early September and was surprised to see Mann removing more animals that appeared perfectly healthy. Lichfield said Mann threatened to contact Abbeville County authorities unless he agreed not to interfere.
Lichfield said the dead animals that Mann photographed on the Carolina Springs Academy property probably succumbed to blue tongue disease.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, blue tongue disease is an insect-borne viral illness that primarily affects sheep and occasionally goats and deer.
Abbeville veterinarian Melinda Gray said Friday that she has not heard about or treated any cases of blue tongue disease during the past decade.
© 2010 Anderson Independent Mail.
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Photos accompanying the above article, "Owner denies animals mistreated on Abbeville property (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=31139&p=390260#p390076)" (by Kirk Brown; December 3, 2010; Anderson Independent Mail):
(http://http://media.independentmail.com/media/img/photos/2010/12/03/Abbeville_animals_t607.jpg)
Joe Mann, president of the Greenwood County Humane Society’s board of directors, answers questions about the animals that he removed from a former boarding school in Abbeville County. This photo was taken in October.
(http://http://media.independentmail.com/media/img/photos/2010/12/03/abbeville_animals3_t607.jpg)
This is one of the horses that Joe Mann removed from a former boarding school in Abbeville County.
(http://http://media.independentmail.com/media/img/photos/2010/12/03/abbeville_animals4_t607.jpg)
Joe Mann says he found these animal skulls at a former boarding school in Abbeville County.
© 2010 Anderson Independent Mail.
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See also the following currently active and interconnected threads:
- 2nd try as Magnolia Christian School (Carolina Springs)
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=32292 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=32292)
- Florida woman's crusade against school led to books, lawsuit
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=32375 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=32375)
- Abbeville school had role in rise and fall of enterprise...
viewtopic.php?f=44&t=32376 (http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=32376)