Cleveland-area law firm representing trio after viral Canton police dog videos

Nancy Molnar, Canton Repository
·4 min read
An image captured from a Canton police body camera after a police dog attacked a man face down on the ground with his hands behind his back.
An image captured from a Canton police body camera after a police dog attacked a man face down on the ground with his hands behind his back.

CANTON ‒ A Cleveland-area law firm says it now represents three men tied to recent videos showing a Canton police dog attacking one of them during their arrest.

Attorney Kenneth Abbarno is listed in Canton Municipal Court records as representing the defendants in their criminal cases, which were filed by Canton police following Thursday's confrontation in the 1100 block of 16th Street NW.

Videos released by police and on social media show a city police dog attacking a man on the ground as a gathering crowd screams criticism at Canton officers for allowing the dog to jump on him. At least two Canton council members, Frank Morris and Louis Giavasis, have questioned the way the dog was used.

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Abbarno is a partner in the DiCello Levitt law firm, which is also representing the family of Frank Tyson, who died April 18 while being arrested by Canton police officers. The same firm is representing the families of two men who were fatally shot by Canton police, Zachary Fornash and James Williams.

Canton police dog bite video

Thursday's incident began when members of Canton's Coordinated Response Team, a special investigative unit, stopped a car they said failed to use a turn signal when it pulled in front of a house to park.

Officers, who had been in unmarked vehicles, said the two occupants started trying to exit the car immediately, and the driver began to argue with them, saying they could not search his vehicle. One detective said he spotted an open liquor bottle in the rear seat. Since the occupants were underage, officers advised them they would be searching the vehicle, where officers said they found a loaded handgun under the driver's seat.

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As officers started to detain the two occupants, people began gathering in the road and sidewalks.

Video released by Canton police shows a bystander gesturing to K-9 officer Nicholas Casto and his dog as Casto talks with bystanders about their dogs.

Casto tells the man that he is under arrest for taunting the dog and three other police officers approach him.

While handcuffing the bystander, the three officers and the man fall to the ground.

The three officers stand back as Casto brings the leashed K-9 over to the man who is now lying face down with his wrists crossed behind his back, the video shows.

The man's hands remain crossed behind him. Roughly 15 seconds pass before Casto gets the dog to let go of the man's arm.

Officers said in their reports the man had continued to pull his hands away.

Those arrested in Canton police dog videos

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The three men who were arrested in the incident are:

  • The 43-year-old bystander whom police said taunted the K-9. He is charged with obstructing official business, resisting arrest, assaulting or harassing a police dog, disorderly conduct and sexual imposition. The last charge is from a 2022 case.

  • The 37-year-old man whom police say was threatening officers. He was arrested on two charges of assault, accused of pushing two officers to the ground, plus resisting arrest, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct.

  • The 19-year-old driver. He is charged with having a weapon under disability, a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon, improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. He is prohibited from having a gun because of a previous conviction for aggravated drug possession, a felony.

All three defendants are Canton residents.

A press release issued by the DiCello Levitt law firm said the police search of the vehicle was unawarranted.

All three defendants are scheduled for preliminary hearings Monday in municipal court. The 43-year-old defendant has a pretrial hearing June 13 in municipal court on the 2022 case.

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Casto has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of a Canton Police Department investigation into the K-9 incident.

A partner in the DiCello Levitt law firm has called for the police department to be investigated.

"We ask Gov. Mike DeWine, state Senators, and the Department of Justice to immediately step up and start an investigation into systemic, racially motivated violence and gang-style culture prevalent in the Canton Police Department,” attorney Bobby DiCello wrote in a prepared statement.

The national NAACP has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the death of Frank Tyson.

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: DiCello Levitt to represent suspects in Canton police dog videos