An Ohio sheriff’s office described the Canfield Fair incident very differently than Amy Acton’s campaign did.
The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office released its account of what happened at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, and it does not match what Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton’s campaign told the public. The gap between the two versions is significant.
According to the original report, Acton’s campaign put out a statement shortly after the incident, which occurred around 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time. A campaign spokesperson said an armed man “lunged” at the candidate and left “multiple people” injured before being taken into custody. The statement added that Acton and her husband Eric were grateful for what it called the “swift and decisive action of law enforcement” and were praying for those injured.
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The campaign statement also declared that “this kind of violence has no place in Ohio,” and that Acton would “always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”
That framing quickly spread. A wave of national and state Democrats posted responses condemning political violence and offering prayers for the injured. California Governor Gavin Newsom, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and several others all weighed in. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona said he spoke directly with Acton and referenced his wife Gabby Giffords’ 2011 shooting, saying there is “no place in our society for political violence.” Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown said he was “grateful that Dr. Acton and all involved are safe.”
What police described, however, was a notably different picture. Authorities charged 38-year-old Patrick Havas of Canfield with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct. Initial reports indicated that two people were knocked over during the scuffle. Both individuals were elderly, and at least one relied on a mobility scooter. According to local outlet WFMI, both were assessed for potential injuries and chose not to seek further medical treatment.
No serious injuries were reported. No one was hospitalized. The charges filed were misdemeanors.
The contrast between Acton’s campaign narrative and the official police record drew immediate attention. The campaign described an armed man lunging at a candidate and injuring multiple people. Police described a disorderly confrontation involving misdemeanor assault charges, two elderly bystanders who declined further medical care, and no reported hospitalizations.
What began as a widely shared story about political violence directed at a Democratic candidate now looks considerably more complicated. The facts on record, as documented by law enforcement, do not support the severity implied by the campaign’s initial statement.
