Animal control officer charged in incident

HARTLAND – Hartland’s animal control officer, Joseph Mandarano, was charged Saturday with criminal threatening and criminal trespass after an incident at a resident’s home.

As a result, Town Manager Peggy Morgan said, Mandarano and a civil service processor, Kent Stevens, were both placed on administrative leave.

An executive session will be held by Hartland selectmen at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss further action.

Mandarano and Stevens apparently had gone to a Hartland residence Saturday afternoon so that Stevens could serve a civil summons on an animal complaint.

According to Lt. Pierre Boucher of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department, the resident repeatedly asked Mandarano to leave his property, since Mandarano had no authority to serve a summons.

Boucher said the animal control officer was asked to leave “several more times” when threats were made.

Boucher said Mandarano was armed with a handgun, for which he has a concealed weapons permit. Boucher would not say whether the handgun was used in the threats.Stevens, who was working for the town of Hartland at the time of the incident, was not charged with any crime. The officer would release no further details about the incident.

Mandarano was hired by the town of Hartland as animal control officer in May 2002, and had applied for the position this week in Pittsfield.