The dramatic story of an alleged armed attack targeting Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton is unraveling as court statements and video evidence paint a far less sinister picture.
What was initially presented as political violence now appears to involve a man recording with his phone and attempting to ask questions.
Patrick Havas, 38, was arrested Sunday after entering the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent at the Canfield Fair while Acton was speaking.
He allegedly pushed through the crowded gathering before members of Acton’s security detail stopped him.
Acton’s campaign quickly framed the incident as a frightening attack by an armed individual who supposedly lunged at the candidate.
That explosive version raced through left-wing media before many basic facts had emerged, because apparently verification can wait when the preferred political narrative is already gift-wrapped.
“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people,” Acton campaign communications director Addie Bullock said in a statement.
“Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” Bullock added.
“This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.”
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The charging documents, however, do not reflect an attempted armed attack on Acton.
Havas faces two misdemeanor assault counts, along with charges of disorderly conduct and inducing panic, but no felony, attempted assault, weapons brandishing, or direct threat charge.
During Havas’ Tuesday arraignment, Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro offered an account that sharply differed from the campaign’s initial portrayal.
According to Maro, Havas apparently entered the tent because he wanted to question Acton, not because investigators found evidence of a planned violent assault.
“He appeared in that tent wanting to ask questions,” Maro told the judge, according to the Associated Press.
Investigators also reviewed a recording made by Havas during the encounter.
The footage reportedly shows him entering the tent with his phone recording, moving through the crowd, and repeatedly calling out Acton’s name as he attempted to move closer.
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Havas never reached Acton because members of her Ohio State Highway Patrol security detail intercepted him.
Authorities have not accused him of touching Acton, injuring her, drawing a weapon, or verbally threatening her during the incident.
Law enforcement received permission to search Havas’ cellphone, another potentially important piece of evidence in determining his intent.
The search reportedly uncovered no threats against Acton, creating another substantial problem for the campaign’s immediate claim that an armed man had lunged at its candidate.
Authorities confirmed that Havas possessed two handguns, a Taser, and brass knuckles.
Yet the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office said none of those weapons was removed from its holster or brandished, a rather crucial detail that was buried beneath the initial wave of political hysteria.
Acton was not touched and suffered no injuries.
Havas instead stands accused of knocking down two people as he pushed through the crowded tent, and both individuals were treated at the fair before being released, according to the incident report.
Those allegations are not trivial, and people cannot simply shove their way through a political event without consequences.
But misdemeanor assault allegations involving people knocked down in a crowd are plainly different from the image of an armed attacker lunging at a candidate.
Havas pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of assault, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of inducing panic.
A judge set his bond at $5,000 as the case proceeds and investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.
The widening gap between the campaign’s rhetoric and the available evidence raises obvious questions about why such loaded language was released before the facts were settled.
Once again, a terrifying political storyline received instant amplification, while the less dramatic details arrived later and threatened to spoil the whole production.
