Man guilty of owning vicious dogs

The victim showed jurors his injured hand.

YOUNGSTOWN — A jury has found Jammie Traylor guilty of owning or harboring vicious dogs who attacked a retired firefighter and his small dog.

The trial began Friday morning with jury selection in municipal court with Judge Elizabeth A. Kobly presiding. Bret Hartup, an assistant city prosecutor, represented the state.

Traylor, 20, of Canfield Road and South Raccoon Road, Austintown, was charged earlier this month with two misdemeanor counts of owning or harboring vicious dogs. The penalty for each charge is up to six months in jail and $1,000 fine.

Jurors found him guilty of one first-degree misdemeanor count and a lesser, fourth-degree charge.

He was represented by Struthers attorney James E. Lanzo. Lanzo said the finding on the lesser count was presumably because one of the dogs did not cause any physical harm.

Jurors heard testimony from Maureen A. Cronin, a common pleas judge who aided David Roch after he was bitten near her home April 18.

What happened

Roch, 55, of the West Side also testified, telling jurors how he was attacked after trying to protect Maggy, his small terrier. Roch had been out walking his dog on a leash near Mill Creek Park when two massive Cane Corsos, an Italian Mastiff breed, approached.

Roch said he was trying to make it to Cronin’s deck when one of the big dogs grabbed onto the side of his left hand after he lifted Maggy up to protect her. He removed a brace to show jurors his injuries and explained that he’s had two surgeries to repair disconnected tendons.

He said Maggy, too, was injured and required surgery. He said she was bitten on the ear, head and rear.

Roch, covering his face with his right hand to hide his tears, said he fell to the ground and let go of Maggy after being bitten near Cronin’s back yard.

A Mill Creek MetroParks police officer used a shotgun to kill one dog behind Cronin’s house on Canfield Road. The second dog ran near Kiawatha Drive and was shot and killed by a city patrolman.