Hearing Thursday for man accused of starving dogs to death

YOUNGSTOWN — The man accused of letting dogs starve to death at High Caliber K-9 is due in municipal court on Thursday for a pretrial hearing.

Steve Croley, 37, of 1516 Coitsville-Hubbard Road, faces charges of noxious odors, exterior property violation and four counts of animal cruelty. He was arrested Oct. 22 after seven dead and 12 starving dogs were found on the Coitsville-Hubbard Road property.

When taken into custody, Croley told a representative of Animal Charity, a humane agency on South Avenue, that he could not afford to feed the animals. High Caliber K-9 offered kenneling, obedience and guard dog training.

Since the arrest, dog owners have come forward to say they paid Croley in advance.

Croley was originally arrested on 19 counts of animal cruelty but only four were filed. City Prosecutor Jay Macejko determined that Animal Charity’s two humane agents, Kyle Ziegler and Joe Borosky, illegally entered the property and, as it turned out, Borosky was not appointed by the mayor to act as a humane agent in the city.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.