A local Ohio sheriff has taken a turn to electoral politics. In a social media post last week, he suggested that his constituents send him the personal addresses of residents who have Kamala Harris campaign signs in their yards.
Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski released the letter on Facebook Friday, in which he described the vice president as a “Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena.”
“I say…write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards!” Zuchowski wrote. “So…when the illegal human ‘Locust’ (who she supports!) needs places to live…we’ll have all the addresses of their new families…who supported their arrival!”
The post was apparently made in reference to a virulent conspiracy theory spread by prominent Republicans, including Donald Trump and JD Vance, about Haitian migrants eating other residents’ pets. Spring fieldOhio—about 200 miles from Zuchowski’s district.
People in the area were outraged by Zuchowski’s post, including local Republican leaders, one of whom – Portage County Commissioner Tony Badalamenti – resigned from the county’s Republican Central Committee in protest. Badalamenti said in a Facebook video that “this is not the leadership I want to be a part of.”
“[Zuchowski] posted that we all need to write down the addresses of people holding political signs that differ from our beliefs,” Badalamenti said. “It scares people. It’s called bullying, from the top law enforcement officer in Portage County.”
Springfield closed two of its elementary schools on Monday, while two local high schools switched to all-virtual classes and activities. The city also canceled its annual CultureFest over safety concerns.
The city saw even more closures last week. Springfield evacuated two elementary schools and a middle school closed Friday after receiving information from the Springfield Police Division. The day before, several other schools and a significant portion of Springfield’s government facilities, including City Hall, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Ohio License Bureau, the Springfield Academy of Excellence and Fulton Elementary School, were closed due to bomb threats.
Several city officials and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine have stated in no uncertain terms that the conspiracy is false.
