Not only the number of "students" are low at CSA

[Oscar]

Food supplies for the animals at the farm-like campus are low too.

From: Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds, 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.

[Oscar]

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, WYFF4.com, MsNBC, September 11 - 2010

[Ursus]

WOW.

Article quoted in the OP copied out... and there's also a 2:25 video news clip accessible at the link (GRAPHIC WARNING):

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

WSPA.com
Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds
By Dianne Derby
Published: September 08, 2010


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.

[BuzzKill]

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.

[BuzzKill]

"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.

[Ursus]

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

[Ursus]

Considerable mention of Narvin Litchfield in the comments here...

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Comments left for the above article, "Rescue Groups Claim Dozens of Animals Abandoned in Donalds" (by Dianne Derby; September 08, 2010; WSPA.com):

11
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.

[/list]
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[/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 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/ and put his name in the search bar.

Check out the collection of news paper stories found here: http://www.wwaspsinfo.net/

You may want to watch the PBS documentary "Whose watching the kids?" :
http://video.wttw.com/video/1430387622

Or read the complaint that can be found here:
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.

[Che Gookin]

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.

[DannyB II]

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.

[psy]

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.

[DannyB II]

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.  

[Ursus]

Article from the 2nd post above copied out:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

msnbc.com
Animal Bones, Carcasses Found At Closed School
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

[Anne Bonney]

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.

[Whooter]

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.



...

[Maximilian]

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.