A Stark County judge has upheld the termination of a Canton police officer who was captured on body camera video using a K-9 during an arrest in 2024, reversing an earlier arbitration decision that had reinstated him.
Stark County Common Pleas Judge Natalie Haupt ruled that Officer Nicholas Casto should not have been returned to his position, finding that his conduct during the incident constituted excessive force. In her decision, Haupt also determined that the arbitrator’s ruling to reinstate Casto was fundamentally flawed.
The case stems from an incident on 16th Street NW in Canton, where Casto deployed his K-9 on a man who was already on the ground with his hands behind his back, according to court findings.
An arbitrator had previously ordered Casto’s reinstatement in September 2024, citing his role in helping apprehend two juveniles during the incident. However, the city challenged that ruling in court, seeking to uphold the officer’s termination.
Casto never returned to active duty while the legal challenge was pending.
In her ruling, Haupt concluded that the arbitrator placed undue weight on the outcomes of the arrests while failing to properly account for the level of force used during the encounter.
The decision affirms the city’s original move to terminate Casto from the Canton Police Department.
