Former fair board member, Scott Cardone, convicted of animal cruelty

OHIO -- A former Union County Fair Board member was convicted Dec. 24 of an animal cruelty charge for lapses in controlling livestock on his small farm near Raymond.

Scott Cardone, of 28476 Storms Road, pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty, a second-degree misdemeanor.

He was sentenced in Marysville Municipal Court to a 30-day suspended jail sentence, a $500 fine and $200 restitution to be paid to the Animal Cruelty Task Force of Ohio, which investigated the case.

    

Neighbors had complained in July 2013 that some of Cardone's more than 20 sheep and goats "kept breaking through fences and out on the road," said Steffen Baldwin, head of the task force.

An investigation by the Union County Sheriff's Office and Baldwin found one lamb emaciated and trapped by wires. The animal eventually died.

A necropsy found rocks and dirt in its stomach.

Cardone told investigators he was aware of the lamb's health and was "hand-feeding it yogurt and probiotics," Baldwin said. "I can't guess or question what his motives were, but clearly there were animals that weren't being cared for."

 

Rural cruelty cases are rare, Baldwin said, because of lack of enforcement.

"We have close to 1,000 farms in Union County and there have only been two cases of animal cruelty resulting in prosecution since 2008."

Cardone stepped down from his post on the fair board in 2013 for other reasons and no longer owns livestock. He could not be reached for comment.

The case will be referred to the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Livestock Care Standards Board for review.

(ThisWeekNews - Jan 5, 2015)

Animal Cruelty Task Force of Ohio
December 24, 2014 at 6:44am ·
Today (yes, Christmas Eve) in Marysville Municipal Court, Scott Cardone entered a guilty plea to the charge of cruelty to animals one emaciated lamb found trapped by wires and immobile on the property on July 12th 2013.


Cardone is sentenced to 30 days in jail with 30 days suspended, a $500 fine and restitution to be paid to Animal Cruelty Task Force of Ohio, the Humane Society appointed to prosecute animal cruelty cases in Union County with forfeiture of any additional livestock remaining on the property.

Necropsy reports by the OSU Large Animal Clinic gave the animal an age of 1-2 with a 0.5/5 on a body condition chart; the stomach was found to be containing only dirt and rocks with starvation listed as the official cause of death.

During the course of the investigation, Agent Baldwin found additional dead and decaying sheep on the property that were promptly removed in addition to 22 remaining live sheep by the defendant. A grand jury reviewed felony charges of tampering with evidence in 2013 with a split decision that did not result in prosecution.

At the time of the investigation, Cardone was a member of the Union County Fair Board and a liaison to the Jr. Livestock Committee and is no longer in either of those positions of animal husbandry and care.

To learn more about our work enforcing laws in Union County and assisting in state wide rescue and rehabilitation efforts as well as partnering with other rural County Humane Societies to assist them with their investigation services, please visit www.actoh.org. As a County Humane Society, we receive funds of $25/month to prosecute these cases and the rest is strictly through donations. Your help is always appreciated!!!