AROUND THE REGION
Dead man, 49, found in portable toilet in Akron’s Hardesty Park
A 49-year-old man was found dead Monday afternoon inside a portable toilet in Hardesty Park in Akron.
Akron officers and EMS personnel responded about 1 p.m. to a call from a visitor at the park who said an unresponsive male was in a Porta Potty. Moments after arriving on the scene, officers found the man and emergency medical responders determined he was dead.
Officers say the man may have experienced a medical emergency. Foul play doesn’t appear to be a factor, according to police.
The identification of the man is being withheld pending further investigation.
Stark couple gets jail time, fines for leaving 25 cats in storage unit
A married couple has been ordered to spend time in jail and pay fines for leaving approximately 25 cats without food and water in a Jackson Township storage unit.
The complaint filed by a Jackson Township police officer says that six to 12 felines were packed into each cage when they were left in the Whipple Avenue building at 8:36 p.m. July 20.
The couple was listed in court records as being homeless at the time of the offense and now live in Plain Township.
Massillon Municipal Judge Edward J. Elum found both the man, 46, and the woman, 43, guilty of the misdemeanor charge of prohibitions concerning companion animals, a misdemeanor of the second degree, after they entered pleas of no contest on Tuesday.
He sentenced both to 90 days in jail. All but 23 of those days were suspended, leaving 10 days to be served. Each is to pay a $100 fine. Both will spend five years on probation. They are prohibited from having companion animals.
The woman who was charged surrendered the cats to the Stark County Humane Society.