Staff Writer
EAST LIVERPOOL An East Liverpool man who was charged more than a year ago with more than a dozen animal-related offenses will pay thousands of dollars for his crime.
East Liverpool Municipal Court Judge Dominic Frank fined Douglas Austin $1,300 and gave him 270 days in jail, all suspended, on 13 counts of prohibitions concerning companion animals.
Austin, of 410 Blakely St, and his attorney, C. Joseph King, appeared before Frank Wednesday morning, which would have been the second day of his originally planned jury trial. Late last week, King withdrew his request for the jury trial in anticipation of Austin accepting a plea deal on Tuesday; however, that was postponed a day due to the inclement weather that shut down city hall and most of East Liverpool.