Animal case held to court

SANDY LAKE TOWNSHIP — A Sandy Lake Township man who allegedly had sex with a lamb on Jan. 11 was jailed after failing to post $15,000 bond at a preliminary hearing.

Charges of sexual intercourse with an animal and criminal trespassing Wednesday were held to court against James Alan Stiver, 45, of 11 Booher Road, by District Judge David Fish.

State police said Stiver entered a barn in Sandy Lake Township without permission.

The barn’s owner had slipped a baby monitor into the barn because she thought someone was staying there, they said.

When the owner heard a lamb making noise, she found Stiver and the animal, police said.

She ordered him to leave and called police, who found Stiver on U.S. Route 62, walking toward Polk.

They said Stiver smelled like alcohol and had blood on his clothing.

The lamb was euthanized due to injuries, police said.

Public meeting to center around FairTax Act

PINE TOWNSHIP — Residents interested in learning about the FairTax Act are invited to an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in Legacy Banquet Center, state Route 58, Pine Township.

The FairTax proposal is part of an effort to shift federal tax burdens from an income to a sales tax on finished goods, according to a news release.

The bill was introduced in 1999 after public polling and research by a group of businessmen, said the release.