BETHLEHEM, Pa. — An Easton man who scattered beef sticks laced with fishhooks and razor blades along downtown sidewalks was sentenced Thursday to 1 to 2 years in state prison after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges, as previously reported.
Joseph Janko-Hudson, 47, entered a guilty plea on April 9 to one count of cruelty to animals and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, Northampton County District Attorney Stephen G. Baratta announced.
In addition to the prison term, Janko-Hudson was sentenced to three years of probation, ordered to pay restitution to the owner of an injured dog and barred from owning or controlling animals for seven years.
The case began Feb. 8, 2026, when a resident who asked to be identified only by her first name, Haley, discovered about six beef sticks embedded with fishhooks while walking her dog along the 400 block of Northampton Street in Easton.
Haley called the police and later posted a map of the treat locations on Facebook, which was shared nearly 2,000 times within a day and prompted other residents to find additional treats in the area.
City surveillance footage captured Janko-Hudson walking along the block at approximately 4:09 p.m. and emptying items from his pockets onto the sidewalk. Officers returned to the area and recovered additional fishhook-laced treats at locations matching those seen in the footage.
A second incident followed Feb. 17, when Easton police received a report that a dog had swallowed a treat containing a razor blade. Those treats were discovered in the 300 block of Northampton Street, and the dog’s owner, who asked to remain anonymous, found additional identical treats nearby.
The dog—a 4-year-old named Riblet—required two surgeries and has since recovered. The additional finding led to a charge of aggravated cruelty to animals against Janko-Hudson.
Court records show Janko-Hudson has a prior criminal history in multiple counties, including a 2020 guilty plea to a third-degree felony charge of risking a catastrophe after state police said he set fire to a barn in Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County, while horses were inside.
Janko-Hudson had been held at Northampton County Prison since his Feb. 11 arraignment on $50,000 bail. His preliminary hearing was postponed in late February after a newly assigned public defender requested a continuance.
The case was investigated by Easton Police Lieutenant Joseph Alonzo and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Anastasia Moawde.
