They let a buyer weigh cattle at a sale he buys at? :???:
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Cattle buyer pleads guilty to tipping stockyard scales
OXFORD, Ohio -- A cattle buyer who tipped the stockyard scales in his favor pleaded guilty Thursday to reduced charges in Butler Area I Court.
Fernand Lee Allart, 75, of Middletown, Ohio, was accused of placing magnets on scales to reduce the weight of livestock purchased from farmers at Tri-State Livestock on College Corner Pike. Livestock is priced and purchased by the pound.
Allart pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of attempted prohibitions (improper weighing of livestock) and one charge of attempted theft. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of misrepresentation of price, a court clerk said.
Allart was arrested in July on felony charges of improper weighing of livestock and theft by deception. He was sentenced Thursday to 180 days on each count, all suspended, and two years of reporting probation for each count. He will pay $1,500 in fines.
Allart also was ordered to pay restitution of $90 to each victim, which was already done. The number of victims was not identified in court records.
Area I Judge Robert Lyons called Allart's actions "disturbing," according to the Hamilton Journal-News.
"You were in a position of trust. People were trusting you to be accurate and you abused that," Lyons said. "I understand your license in Ohio has been terminated, but I don't want you (buying livestock) anywhere."
The stockyard property is owned by George Carmack of Liberty and leased to manager David Hill of College Corner. Carmack said he doesn't want Allart, a man he's known for 50 years, on the premises.
"(Allart) has no reason to be there. How he got involved in weighing I have no idea. He never worked for me and he never weighed when I ran the place. He's an order buyer. He bought for different packers," Carmack said. "He no longer belongs there."
Hill said the criminal activity has hurt the independent stockyards.
"I was unaware it was happening and I wasn't involved in it," Hill said of the scale tampering. "I've still got customers, but it has hurt us. I've been talking to our loyal customers and I'm trying to turn the situation around, get it corrected and turn it into a positive."
Allart was a buyer of cattle for slaughter, while Hill was the feeder cattle buyer. Hill said he's now the buyer for both types.
Allart declined to comment for this story.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has terminated Allart's livestock license. ODA investigated the livestock market this year after numerous farmers complained about their livestock weights.
ODA inspector Michael Stanton was at the stockyards when he saw Allart place something on the beam scale he was operating to weigh cattle. Upon closer inspection, Stanton discovered a magnet and retrieved it from the scale, according to a copy of a letter to Allart provided by ODA.
Placing a magnet on the left side of the scale beam reduces the weight on a balance beam scale, Butler County deputy auditor Mike Tilton said. In Ohio, the county auditor's office is required to test all scales in the county.
This was the first case of deliberate weight manipulation in Tilton's 30 years with the auditor's office, he said.
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20100814/NEWS01/8140310
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Cattle buyer pleads guilty to tipping stockyard scales
OXFORD, Ohio -- A cattle buyer who tipped the stockyard scales in his favor pleaded guilty Thursday to reduced charges in Butler Area I Court.
Fernand Lee Allart, 75, of Middletown, Ohio, was accused of placing magnets on scales to reduce the weight of livestock purchased from farmers at Tri-State Livestock on College Corner Pike. Livestock is priced and purchased by the pound.
Allart pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of attempted prohibitions (improper weighing of livestock) and one charge of attempted theft. He also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of misrepresentation of price, a court clerk said.
Allart was arrested in July on felony charges of improper weighing of livestock and theft by deception. He was sentenced Thursday to 180 days on each count, all suspended, and two years of reporting probation for each count. He will pay $1,500 in fines.
Allart also was ordered to pay restitution of $90 to each victim, which was already done. The number of victims was not identified in court records.
Area I Judge Robert Lyons called Allart's actions "disturbing," according to the Hamilton Journal-News.
"You were in a position of trust. People were trusting you to be accurate and you abused that," Lyons said. "I understand your license in Ohio has been terminated, but I don't want you (buying livestock) anywhere."
The stockyard property is owned by George Carmack of Liberty and leased to manager David Hill of College Corner. Carmack said he doesn't want Allart, a man he's known for 50 years, on the premises.
"(Allart) has no reason to be there. How he got involved in weighing I have no idea. He never worked for me and he never weighed when I ran the place. He's an order buyer. He bought for different packers," Carmack said. "He no longer belongs there."
Hill said the criminal activity has hurt the independent stockyards.
"I was unaware it was happening and I wasn't involved in it," Hill said of the scale tampering. "I've still got customers, but it has hurt us. I've been talking to our loyal customers and I'm trying to turn the situation around, get it corrected and turn it into a positive."
Allart was a buyer of cattle for slaughter, while Hill was the feeder cattle buyer. Hill said he's now the buyer for both types.
Allart declined to comment for this story.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture has terminated Allart's livestock license. ODA investigated the livestock market this year after numerous farmers complained about their livestock weights.
ODA inspector Michael Stanton was at the stockyards when he saw Allart place something on the beam scale he was operating to weigh cattle. Upon closer inspection, Stanton discovered a magnet and retrieved it from the scale, according to a copy of a letter to Allart provided by ODA.
Placing a magnet on the left side of the scale beam reduces the weight on a balance beam scale, Butler County deputy auditor Mike Tilton said. In Ohio, the county auditor's office is required to test all scales in the county.
This was the first case of deliberate weight manipulation in Tilton's 30 years with the auditor's office, he said.
http://www.pal-item.com/article/20100814/NEWS01/8140310
