CANFIELD, Ohio — A day after an armed man was arrested during Amy Acton’s appearance at the Canfield Fair, law enforcement accounts and public records establish the basic facts of what happened — even as false and unsupported claims circulate online questioning the incident.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol have both described Patrick Havas, 38, forcing or pushing his way through a crowd toward Acton before troopers assigned to protect the Democratic gubernatorial nominee stopped him. Multiple people were knocked over. Havas was arrested. Authorities say he was carrying two pistols and other weapons.
The firearms were not drawn. Acton was not injured. And investigators have not publicly established Havas’ motive or said what he intended to do if he reached Acton.
Those qualifications are part of the law-enforcement record. So is the physical confrontation.
Nevertheless, national political figures have begun casting doubt on the incident, while at least one demonstrably false claim about Havas being released from jail has circulated widely online. State Rep. Gary Click, a Republican representing Seneca and Sandusky counties, joined the speculation Monday, writing on Facebook that “something about this story doesn’t seem to be adding up.”
Click did not cite evidence contradicting the accounts provided by either law-enforcement agency.
What the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office says
According to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office account provided to WPXI, Havas entered the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday while using his cellphone to record Acton, who was speaking to people gathered there.
“As he was entering the tent, Havas started pushing his way through the crowd,” the sheriff’s office said.
Acton’s security detail, made up of Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, confronted Havas. Two people were knocked to the ground during the confrontation, according to the sheriff’s office, and Havas was taken into custody.
Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene provided additional detail to CBS News, saying Havas “aggressively shoved his way through the crowd toward Acton” while holding up his cellphone.
Greene said Havas knocked over two older people on mobility scooters as he moved forward before Acton’s State Highway Patrol security detail stopped him.
After Havas was arrested, authorities recovered two handguns and brass knuckles, according to Greene. The sheriff said the firearms were never brandished.
What the Ohio State Highway Patrol says
The Ohio State Highway Patrol separately described Havas moving through the crowd toward Acton.
According to The Associated Press, citing the patrol, Havas forced his way through the crowd, knocking over multiple people as he moved toward Acton before troopers stopped him.
The patrol said Havas had two pistols and a Taser.
In a statement independently reported by NOTUS, the patrol said Havas “knocked multiple fairgoers over while trying to get towards Dr. Acton” and confirmed that Acton was unharmed.
The sheriff’s office has said its detectives are investigating the incident while State Highway Patrol troopers conduct a threat assessment. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive.
That distinction matters: law enforcement has established that the confrontation occurred and that Havas was moving toward Acton, but investigators have not said why he was doing so or what he intended to do if he reached her.
What police have not said
The available evidence does not support exaggerating what happened either.
Authorities have not said Havas fired a gun, pointed one at Acton or removed one from its holster. The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office specifically said the firearms recovered after his arrest were never brandished. Acton was not physically injured.
Authorities also have not announced that Havas intended to shoot Acton or publicly identified another motive for his actions.
Those questions remain under investigation.
But uncertainty about motive is different from uncertainty about whether the encounter occurred. Two law-enforcement agencies say Havas forced or pushed his way through the crowd toward Acton. People were knocked over. State troopers intervened. Havas was arrested while carrying multiple weapons.
The campaign and law-enforcement accounts are not contradictory
Some online commentary has portrayed a difference in wording between Acton’s campaign and law enforcement as evidence that the initial account was exaggerated. The available statements do not show such a contradiction.
Acton’s campaign said an “armed individual lunged” toward her. Law enforcement subsequently confirmed that Havas was armed and that he moved forcefully through the crowd toward Acton.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Havas “forced his way through a crowd towards” Acton and knocked multiple fairgoers over while trying to get toward her. The patrol said he was carrying two pistols and a Taser.
Sheriff Greene similarly told CBS News that Havas “aggressively shoved his way through the crowd toward Acton.” Greene also said Havas’ firearms were never brandished.
Those statements are not mutually exclusive. Describing Havas as armed means he possessed weapons; it does not mean he drew or fired them. And the fact that his firearms remained holstered does not contradict the law-enforcement finding that he moved aggressively through the crowd toward Acton.
Nor does the absence of a drawn firearm mean there was no physical confrontation. Authorities say multiple people were knocked over as Havas pushed through the crowd, and he was subsequently booked on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct.
Havas was not released “with no bail”
One of the clearest false factual claims to spread after the incident came from national right-wing activist Laura Loomer.
Loomer claimed Havas had “already been released by police with no bail.” Mediaite documented the claim Monday.
Public records and subsequent reporting directly contradict it.
Havas remained in the Mahoning County Jail with no bond Monday, according to NOTUS, citing the Ohio State Highway Patrol and jail records. Local reporting based on Mahoning County jail records likewise showed Havas remained incarcerated with no bond set.
The claim confused “no bond” with being released without paying bail. They are not the same thing. In Havas’ case, the available jail record showed that he remained in custody.
Republican officials also accepted the law-enforcement account
The description of what occurred has not come solely from Acton, her campaign or Democratic officials.
Republican Attorney General Andy Wilson issued an official statement Sunday describing what happened as “attempted violence” and specifically praising the State Highway Patrol officers protecting Acton.
“Having worked closely with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, I have the utmost faith in her executive protection detail and am grateful for their quick action,” Wilson said.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine provided an account consistent with law enforcement, saying officers responded when “a man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth.”
“We are grateful for the quick work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement on the scene at the Canfield Fair,” DeWine said.
Acton’s Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, also condemned the incident.
“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” Ramaswamy communications director Connie Luck said in a statement reported by CBS News. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics.”
Click casts doubt without presenting contrary evidence
Click took a different approach Monday.
In a Facebook post reviewed by TiffinOhio.net, Click began by saying that “violence is never a political solution.” He then wrote that “something about this story doesn’t seem to be adding up” and invoked the Jussie Smollett case while raising the possibility that Acton’s campaign itself could somehow be responsible for a diversion.
Click said it was “too early to say” and wrote that he was “not making any accusations.”
But the post did not identify a factual statement made by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office or Ohio State Highway Patrol that Click believes is wrong. It also did not present evidence contradicting either agency’s description of Havas forcing his way through the crowd toward Acton.
The most complete publicly available account therefore remains the one supported by law enforcement and the records produced after Havas’ arrest: Havas forced or pushed his way through a crowd toward Acton, multiple people were knocked over, State Highway Patrol troopers stopped him, police arrested him while he was carrying multiple weapons, and he remained jailed afterward.
The weapons were not drawn. Acton was not injured. And what investigators have not yet established is why Havas did it.
