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Canfield man faces animal-cruelty charges
By Elise Franco
Canfield
A city man is charged with animal cruelty and property violations after he was found to be hoarding dogs at his home.
Canfield police charged Frank M. Kalan, 63, on Thursday with animal cruelty, animals at large, barking dogs, unregistered vehicles, property maintenance and exterior property maintenance.
He is scheduled for an arraignment next Friday in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield. Kalan also is scheduled for plea- agreement hearings on two previous charges, a health-code violation and failing to register dogs on his property at 514 Hickory Hollow Drive.
Police, along with the Mahoning County Dog Warden, Humane Society, county board of health and Adult Protective Services went to 514 Hickory Hollow Drive on Nov. 10 to serve a search warrant on the property. The police department had received complaints from neighbors about loose and barking dogs, said Chief Chuck Colucci.
“There have been countless property-maintenance issues and complaints, and [Kalan] has been cited multiple times,” he said. “Recently, those complaints included concerns for the well-being of animals.”
Several neighbors declined to comment Thursday afternoon, and Kalan was unavailable to comment.
Colucci said multiple dogs were found on the property, along with two dead cats that were wrapped in plastic bags and stored in a freezer.
“The property issues have escalated over the years,” he said. “We’ve been continuously dealing with this.”
When the agencies arrived at the home, they found five dogs chained in the backyard, several appearing malnourished, according to a police report.
The inside of the home was stacked with boxes and personal belongings, making it hard to pass through, the report said. Neither bathroom and one of two showers were operational.
Dave Nelson, of the dog warden’s office, said Animal Charity has possession of the dogs and will keep them until the case is resolved.
“They have all the dogs at their facilities, and they’re not releasing them back to [Kalan] until the court process is complete,” he said.
Nelson said Nov. 10 wasn’t the first time the dog warden’s office was called to Kalan’s home.
“My recommendation is that he has no more animals at that location,” he said. “It’s apparent that he can’t take care of himself.”
The cooperation among several county agencies is what Nelson said allowed these charges to be filed so swiftly.
“All of the agencies, everyone working together kind of nipped this before it got really out of hand,” he said.