Allart is accused of attaching the magnets to reduce weights, cheating farmers by changing the weight of cattle in favor of Allart and the company for which he worked. The company and owner have been dealt with separately through the state department of agriculture and were not criminally charged.
Charges were filed Friday, July 2, against Allart in Butler County Area I Court in Oxford, but no court date has been set. He was taken into custody and booked into the Butler County Jail.
“This is the worst case of cow tipping we have ever seen,” joked Sheriff Richard K. Jones, who added that the crime is a serious one.
“Farming is such a tough business to begin with,” he said, “and during one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression, the farmer takes another hit at the market.”
Jones said using the magnets is the equivalent of a butcher sneaking his thumb onto the meat scales.
The alleged scam was detected by representatives of the department of agriculture, according to Deputy County Auditor Mike Tilton.
Allart is charged with prohibitions (improper weighing of livestock), a fourth-degree felony; theft by deception, a fifth-degree felony; misrepresentation of price, a second-degree misdemeanor; and prohibitions (incorrect weights and measures), a second-degree misdemeanor.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2168 or lpack@coxohio.com.
About the Author
