Ex-Ohio GOP candidate Daniel Kalmbach now faces life felony

Florida prosecutors have sharply escalated the charges against Daniel J. Kalmbach, a former Republican candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives, replacing his original third-degree felony counts with a life felony kidnapping charge and a first-degree aggravated battery charge that alleges he cut the alleged victim with a knife.

Assistant State Attorney James P. McMillan filed the formal information on April 15, and the document was e-filed with the Miami-Dade Circuit Court on April 16, according to court records. The case remains assigned to Circuit Judge Carmen R. Cabarga.

Count 1 charges Kalmbach with kidnapping with a weapon under Florida Statutes 787.01(1) and 775.087. Kidnapping is ordinarily a first-degree felony under Florida law, but when a weapon is used during the offense, the charge is reclassified upward to a life felony — the highest classification short of capital crimes. The count alleges Kalmbach “forcibly, secretly, or by threat” confined the alleged victim between February 21 and February 23 with intent to commit aggravated battery, inflict bodily harm or terrorize, while using “a pair of scissors and/or a knife.”

Count 2 charges aggravated battery with great bodily harm and a deadly weapon under Florida Statutes 784.045(1)(a)1 and 2 and 775.087(1)(b), a first-degree felony. The count alleges Kalmbach battered the alleged victim “by cutting [her] hair and cutting her with a knife,” causing “great bodily harm and/or permanent disfigurement, to wit: a scar(s).”

Both charges supersede the two third-degree felony counts — false imprisonment and battery by strangulation — for which Kalmbach was arrested on February 23. Those original counts are now listed as “no action” in the court’s charge tracker, indicating the state declined to pursue them in favor of the direct-filed upgraded charges.

Editor’s note: The following section contains detailed descriptions of alleged domestic violence, including strangulation and physical assault, as documented in a sworn police affidavit.

The alleged conduct

The probable cause affidavit signed by responding Miami officers describes a sustained assault inside a Miami apartment in the early morning hours of February 23. Officers responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment building at 201 SW 10th St. at approximately 1:22 a.m. and found the alleged victim, described in the affidavit as Kalmbach’s girlfriend of eight months, in the building lobby with visible bruises on her face.

According to the affidavit, the alleged victim told officers that when she attempted to leave the apartment, Kalmbach blocked the door, told her she was not leaving, and held her against her will. She stated that Kalmbach retrieved scissors from the kitchen and cut her hair while she was on the floor. In the bedroom, the affidavit states, Kalmbach grabbed her neck with both hands and applied pressure that impeded her breathing for approximately six seconds, creating what the affidavit describes as “a risk of great bodily harm.”

When the alleged victim briefly escaped to the building’s elevator, the affidavit states, Kalmbach followed, picked her up, and carried her back to the apartment, where he delivered closed-fist strikes to her head. The affidavit states Kalmbach told her she was “not going to leave for two days” and stood in front of the door to prevent her from exiting. When she eventually reached the building lobby with Kalmbach, she asked the front desk receptionist to call 911, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit states that Kalmbach waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with officers. He told police an argument ensued because the alleged victim wanted to break up with him. He admitted to jumping on her in bed and delivering elbow strikes to her head, according to the affidavit. He stated he took a knife from her after she cut his leg with it and then used the knife to cut her hair.

A domestic violence lethality screening completed at the scene indicated the alleged victim was in a “potential lethal situation based on score and officers belief,” according to court records. Body-worn camera footage was captured at the scene, and Miami Fire Rescue treated the alleged victim’s injuries.

Defense and arraignment

Kalmbach, 31, initially filed an affidavit of indigent status at his bond hearing and was appointed a public defender. Within two weeks, he retained private defense attorneys Howard Srebnick and Mark A.J. Shapiro of Black Srebnick, a Miami criminal defense firm. Srebnick’s past clients include Helio Castroneves, Justin Bieber and Lil Wayne.

Kalmbach entered a written plea of not guilty and demanded a jury trial on March 10. His arraignment on the upgraded charges is scheduled for Monday, April 27, at 9 a.m. in Room 4-3 of the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building.

Ohio political connections

Kalmbach lost the 2024 Republican primary in Ohio House District 69 to incumbent state Rep. Kevin Miller. His campaign was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan and U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, and he received a $1,000 donation from state Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) on February 20, 2024, according to pre-primary campaign finance reports filed with the Ohio Secretary of State.

Campaign finance records show a continuing financial relationship between the Click and Kalmbach political operations. Daniel Kalmbach donated $350 to Click’s campaign in May 2025. His father, Paul Kalmbach Sr., the chief executive of Kalmbach Feeds in Upper Sandusky, donated $250 to Click in September 2024. Kalmbach Feeds itself donated $250 to Click in 2021.

Paul Kalmbach Sr. also donated $7,500 to the 2022 state House campaign of Thad Claggett, and Daniel Kalmbach was subsequently hired as Claggett’s legislative aide beginning December 27, 2022, as previously reported by the independent Ohio political newsletter The Rooster.

Kalmbach has not been convicted. He remains out on bond and is subject to a pretrial stay-away order. Bond may be revisited at the April 27 arraignment given the escalated charges.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Help is available 24/7.