EASTON, Pa. — The preliminary hearing for an Easton man charged with scattering fishhook- and razor blade-laced meat treats on downtown sidewalks was postponed Wednesday after his newly appointed public defender requested a continuance.
Joseph M. Janko-Hudson, 47, faces six counts of cruelty to animals and six counts of criminal attempt to commit cruelty to animals, all second-degree misdemeanors, in connection with the Feb. 8 incident in which pieces of beef sticks embedded with fishhooks were found along the 400 block of Northampton Street.
He has been held at Northampton County Prison since his Feb. 11 arraignment on $50,000 monetary bail, which he has been unable to post.
The hearing at the Northampton County Courthouse was scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.
However, public defender Nuria Diluzio, Esq., who had only recently been assigned to represent Janko-Hudson, told the court that her client had not yet completed a public defender application and that she had not yet had the opportunity to visit him in custody to prepare the case.
Diluzio requested a continuance, which the Commonwealth did not object to. The judge granted the request, and a new preliminary hearing date will be scheduled.
Before the proceedings began, Janko-Hudson was heard telling his public defender, “I didn’t do this.”
No members of the general public were present in the courtroom for the hearing. However, two witnesses for the Commonwealth waited in the hall outside: Haley, the Easton resident who first discovered and reported the tainted treats, and another woman whose dog was injured after eating one.
Neither was called to testify due to the continuance.
Janko-Hudson will remain in custody at Northampton County Prison pending the rescheduled hearing. Court records show he has a prior criminal history in multiple counties.
In 2016, he was charged with terroristic threats with intent to terrorize another in Northampton County.
In 2020, he pleaded guilty 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, then sat and watched as the owner tried to extinguish the blaze.
He was sentenced to 9 to 23 months in prison and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. In 2024, he was sentenced to 18 months of probation for criminal mischief involving property damage in Carbon County.
At least one dog has been seriously harmed by the treats. A woman who wished to remain anonymous previously told WFMZ-TV that her 4-year-old dog, Riblet, swallowed three razor blades after snatching one of the treats on Northampton Street and required two surgeries to remove them, including a second operation to extract razor blade fragments.
That woman was also present at the courthouse Wednesday as a witness for the Commonwealth, but a reporter was unable to speak with her.
In the weeks since the initial discovery, more of the dangerous items have been found throughout downtown Easton, particularly as snow has melted.
Easton Police Captain of Field Services Sal Crisafulli previously told reporters that the department believes the newly uncovered treats are connected to Janko-Hudson, noting the beef sticks and fishhooks appear to be the same type and are turning up in the same general area.
Some residents also reported finding treats containing razor blades.
The investigation began after Haley, an Easton resident who asked to be identified only by her first name, found about six pieces of bait while walking her dogs near her downtown apartment around 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 8.
She called the Easton Police non-emergency line and later posted a map of the locations on Facebook, which she said was shared nearly 2,000 times and prompted other residents to find additional treats within a day.
Police reviewed surveillance footage and spotted Janko-Hudson emptying items from his pocket onto the ground in the same area at approximately 4:09 p.m. — about 30 minutes before Haley’s discovery. He was the only person seen making discarding motions in the area during that time frame, authorities said.
Officers identified him through a surveillance photo on Feb. 10 and arraigned him the following day.
Haley said she hopes the community will organize a sweep of the area once the remaining snow melts, possibly using metal detectors, to find and remove any items that may still be on the ground.
“God forbid we all forget about it,” she said.
Police continue to urge pet owners in downtown Easton to remain vigilant when walking their animals. Anyone whose pet is injured by one of these objects is asked to contact the Easton police non-emergency line to file a report.
Officer Joseph A. Alonzo is listed as the arresting officer in the case. The case is being prosecuted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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