CANFIELD Cattle abusers get cleanup duty at fair

The men will be assigned to the trash detail at the fair and will clean manure out of the stalls.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Three Canfield men who abused dairy cattle at a Beaver Township dairy farm last summer will clean up after cows and lots of other animals at the Canfield Fair, as part of their community service obligation.
In January, Judge Scott D. Hunter sentenced Ryan C. Russo, 19, of Squires Court, Patrick J. Lane, 20, of Dartmouth Avenue and Ryan A. Stevens, 20, of Topaz Circle to 120 hours of community service and a $250 fine after all three pleaded no contest to a charge of animal cruelty.
They had broken the animals' ribs and slashed the hides.
The judge recommended that the men fulfill their community service obligations by helping to care for or clean up after animals -- but no local organization that cares for animals would have them, according to a spokeswoman for the Mahoning County Probation Office.
Assignment
This spring, Russo and Stevens were assigned to assist Beaver Township, where they have been cleaning cruisers, painting, helping at the recycling collection center, and shoveling mulch, said Beaver Township Police Lt. Ken Frost, who oversees the township's community service program.
Lane was recently assigned to work at the Canfield Fairgrounds, where he will help set up for events and clean up afterward.
Russo and Stevens will be reassigned to the Canfield Fair for Sept. 1 through the first week of October, according to the Mahoning County Probation Office. If they don't complete their obligation by then, the spokeswoman said, they would return to Beaver Township.
Immediately after the fair, all three men will be assigned to the trash detail and will clean manure out of the stalls for "any and all of the animals I can come up with," said Bev Fisher, fair manager.
In addition to the community service and fine, Judge Hunter ordered the men to make restitution to David and Kathy Moff, the Beaver Township dairy farmers whose cattle were attacked.
As part of the plea agreement, the Moffs agreed not to disclose how much they were paid.
kubik@vindy.com