Trumbull commissioners approve Wild Animal Response Plan

Staff report

WARREN

Trumbull County commissioners have approved a Trumbull County Dangerous Wild Animal Response Plan and the appointment of 10 people to serve on a team to review the plan each year.

Ohio’s Dangerous Wild Animal Act, approved by the Ohio Legislature on June 5, 2012, requires all Ohio counties to create a response plan and a team.

The legislation followed an incident in October 2011 in Zanesville in which the owner of an exotic animal farm freed 56 animals into the streets before committing suicide. They included tigers, lions, bears and wolves.

Linda Beil, Trumbull County Emergency Management and Homeland Security director, wrote the county’s plan and submitted it to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources last week.

It says the response to a release of a dangerous wild animal will involve calling 911 dispatchers, who will dispatch law-enforcement officers to address it. Resources that might be of help are cages and vehicles owned by the Trumbull County Dog Warden’s Office, Beil said.

Appointed to the committee are Brookfield Township Police Chief Dan Faustino; Champion Township Fire Chief John Hickey; United Way Executive Director Karen Conklin; Beil; Bob Pinti, deputy director of the Warren Health Department; Hartford Township Trustee Rebecca Whitman; animal owner Jason DeLuca; veterinarian R.M.S. Temple of Bristolville; Frank Migliozzi, environmental director of the Trumbull County Health Board; and Gwen Logan, executive director of the Trumbull County Dog Warden’s office.

The Dangerous Wild Animal Act requires anyone having a dangerous wild animal or restricted snake to get a permit from the state.

So far, residents of two homes in Newton Falls and one in Braceville Township have registered five monkeys, including four capuchin monkeys and a marmoset.

Ruth Jordan of Trumbull Court in Newton Falls registered two capuchin monkeys; James and Anna Wilcox of Trumbull Court registered a capuchin monkey and a marmoset; and Hyacinth Kustin of Braceville Robinson Road in Braceville registered a capuchin monkey.

In other matters, a resident of Westwood Lake Mobile Home Park, which is near a Halcon well on Brunstetter Road in Lordstown, told commissioners she has been subjected to harassment by Halcon employees.

Colleen Wazelle said people in unmarked black-and-white pickup trucks such as those used by employees at the well have followed her — one time from Brunstetter Road several miles to her son’s house on the west side of Warren.

She, her husband, Floyd, and activist John Williams of Frackfree Mahoning Valley, said they had all experienced this activity, and it appeared to occur after news accounts depicting them talking about issues at the well site.

Vince Bevacqua of the Prodigal Company, spokesman for Halcon, said, “We’re not commenting on this part of the story.”