MOUNT GILEAD, Ohio -- A Morrow County deputy is recovering after being bitten on the leg by a bear that escaped from its owners Friday afternoon.
Deputy Stuart Mattix shot and killed the nearly 500-pound black bear that had been kept at a home on County Road 24 just south of Mount Gilead. The home's owner is listed as 37-year-old Shane Mayberry.
Authorities said the residents had kept the bear as a pet since 2003. But the bear had a history of running loose and had grown increasingly aggressive, authorities said.
Mattix was treated at Morrow County Hospital for two puncture wounds to the leg, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
Authorities received a call about 2 p.m. Friday that the bear was loose. Mattix was checking the property when the bear attacked him.
The sheriff's office said that once deputies knew the bear was loose, Mayberry was notified and gave his permission to shoot the bear if necessary.
Black bears are native to Ohio, and residents are allowed to keep them as long as they register with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. No one was available over the weekend at the department to say whether Mayberry had a permit.