CANTON, Ohio — A Mansfield man was arrested after he broke into the Stark County Fairgrounds and released 15 racehorses, causing them to run rampant throughout a nearby neighborhood and residential streets, according to a report from Canton police.
Jonathan Ford, 28, of Mansfield, was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, inducing panic, disrupting public service and possession of drugs, the report states.
Police said on Monday at about 5:27 a.m., Ford allegedly entered the horse barn at the fairgrounds by unknown means and released over a dozen horses.
Based on body cam footage released by Canton police, several horses can be seen running in front of homes and on a residential street.
Police, fire and multiple volunteers spent the morning corralling 14 horses, which were returned to the stables at the fairgrounds. The horses belonged to private owners who used them to race at Racino Northfield.
Canton fire spent over an hour trying to rescue one horse that later died after it fell through the ice at Myers Lake.
During his arrest, police found two types of marijuana on Ford, the report states.
Canton police said more charges are pending.
