- Ohio, USA -
A grand jury indicted 63-year-old JOHN ARSUFFI (pictured below), on nine counts of felony animal cruelty charges.
Columbiana County prosecutor Vito J. Abruzzino said ARSUFFI turned himself into the jail on Thursday, March 11, where he was served.
WKBN reports that the indictment stems from an incident that happened in January 2021, when a power utility employee contacted the Columbiana County Dog Warden about animals living in deplorable conditions.
Seven dogs were found lifeless, every single one of them from apparent starvation.
Two other dogs were found alive but they were emaciated.
Many of you may know that while these offenses would have been a misdemeanor, “Goddard’s Law” aka House Bill 60, makes them a felony offense with up to a year behind bars.
Goddard’s Law went into effect on September 13, 2016, and it was named after long-time Cleveland weatherman, Dick Goddard, who passionately advocated for strengthening penalties for animal abuse.
Abruzzino said: “My office will pursue this case vigorously to ensure that justice is served for what happened to these helpless animals. My hat is off to the utility worker that spoke out and called this dire situation to the attention of the Columbiana County Dog Warden.”
ARSUFFI’s bond was set at $15,000.
ARSUFFI, of state Route 558, has a court date scheduled for April 1, 2021.
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