Children, menagerie of animals removed from home

MANSFIELD - City police Officers Heath Underwood and Nolan Goodman led two pot-bellied pigs out of a Chestnut Street home on Friday afternoon.

The pigs were not happy. They struggled, squealed and grunted as police put them in carriers.

"I can say I've never wrestled a pig until now," Underwood said.

The pig wrangling was precipitated by a Children Services well-being check on three boys who live in the home at 21 and 21½ Chestnut St.

"They were worried about the conditions and that they had pigs in the house," police Officer Sara Mosier Napier said.

Napier called living conditions "deplorable."

"This is one of the worst houses I've even been in," she said.

With the help of agents from the Humane Society of Richland County, authorities removed five snakes, a lizard, a dog and the two pigs.

"There's mice running around and two dead rats in cages," Mosier Napier said.

Daniel Thomas, 42; Tamara Thomas, 42; and Jessica Perry, 22, were issued summonses for child endangering. Daniel Thomas was also issued a summons for animal cruelty.

"At first the guy said he didn't have any pigs," Mosier Napier said.

The boys, ages 17, 3 and 1, were placed with relatives.

Mosier Napier said pigs are not allowed in city limits.

"I'm fairly certain that you can't have 6-foot snakes either," humane agent Missy Houghton said.

One huge snake rested in a glass container. Houghton didn't know how long it was and wasn't in a hurry to find out. She guessed it was a Burmese python.

Houghton said the snakes would tax the resources at the humane society.

"It will cost several hundred dollars to get heat lamps and food," she said. "We have to special-order all the frozen mice, and those are really expensive."

Houghton also was concerned about an emaciated black dog that had been chained outside.

"I think once he realized we had food and we were not going to run out of food, he was happy," she said.

Police couldn't stop talking about the pigs. Sweat dripped from the foreheads of Underwood and Goodman as if it were a mid-summer day.

"I'm not working out when I get home now," Underwood said.

Mosier Napier told the young officers she was proud of them.

"Never a dull day," Goodman said.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill