Overview
- The episode took place at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, Sept. 6, when campaign staff and attendees reacted to a man who entered the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent while Amy Acton was speaking.
- State Highway Patrol troopers arrested 38-year-old Patrick Havas at the scene and recovered two handguns and a taser that officers say were not removed from their holsters or brandished.
- Mahoning County prosecutors charged Havas with two counts of assault, one count of inducing panic, and one count of disorderly conduct; he pleaded not guilty on Sept. 8 and was released on a $5,000 surety bond.
- Newly circulated video shot by Youngstown councilmember Mike Ray and review of Havas’s phone led prosecutors to say the footage does not show him near Acton and does not support felony charges, and they have asked the public for additional recordings.
- The case has become politically charged with conservative outlets saying the campaign overstated the threat while some officials, including Gov. Mike DeWine, condemned the incident, and the dispute is raising fresh questions about how to balance open events with candidate security.