WATERFORD, Vt. (AP) – A Waterford man has been charged with animal cruelty after police said they found five dead cows at his farm.

Reginald Willson, 63, was charged Wednesday with neglecting the cattle.

Five of the 20 cows had died and a sixth had to be euthanized, said the Caledonia County Sheriff’s Department.

The 14 other cows were in poor condition and removed from the farm, the sheriff’s department said.

“It’s really been a very depressing thing,” said animal control officer Jo Guertin. “I’ve been working on this since November, trying to help this guy, trying to get him going in the right direction, but he wouldn’t take any advice, he wouldn’t take any help … we just did what we had to do.”

Guertin, a veterinarian and a sheriff’s deputy visited the farm on Feb. 2 after receiving a report that the animals did not have food or water.

The group found several dead calves and a heifer who had to be euthanized. The cows had no grain or water, the sheriff’s department said.

Guertin started receiving complaints from Willson’s neighbors in November about cows that were wandering off the property and onto roads.

Guertin said she spoke to Willson several times about fencing in the animals.

In December Willson agreed to sell his cattle to a dealer in Morrisville but apparently had not sold the whole herd, Guertin said.

Willson is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges on March 6.