Prosecutor says man accused of charging toward Ohio governor candidate
wanted to ask questions
[September 09, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and JAMIE STENGLE
CANFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An armed man accused of charging toward Ohio
gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton during a campaign stop at a fair was
trying to ask the Democrat questions, a prosecutor said during the man's
arraignment Tuesday.
No one has publicly said what 38-year-old Patrick Havas wanted to ask
Acton, but authorities have said he never brandished or unholstered the
weapons he had on him and they haven't found any threats in a search of
his cellphone. As he charged toward Acton, authorities said, he knocked
down two people before troopers stopped him.
Havas pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault, one count of
disorderly conduct and one count of inducing panic. His bond was set at
$5,000.
He was arrested after authorities said he knocked people down while
forcing his way through a crowd Sunday as Acton spoke under a tent at
the fair in Canfield in northeastern Ohio. Authorities said he had two
handguns, a taser and a set of brass knuckles.
“He appeared in that tent wanting to ask questions,” Mahoning County
Prosecutor Lynn Maro told the judge during the hearing. “You should know
law enforcement gained consent for them to have complete access to his
cellphone so they found no threats.”
Maro said after the hearing that the video Havas took shows him “walking
into the tent recording and moving forward, calling out her name.”
Acton, a physician, is the state’s former public health director.
“All he got out was Dr. Acton, Dr. Acton,” Maro said.
Maro said that the investigation is continuing, and noted the Mahoning
County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for any video capturing
what happened.
Acton’s security detail, made up of troopers with the Ohio State Highway
Patrol, intercepted Havas as he forced his way through the crowd, the
agency has said. A highway patrol spokesman said they did not have any
bodycam footage from the incident.
Two people were treated at the scene on Sunday and released, according
to an incident report from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.
Mike Ray, a city councilman in Youngstown who is also a member of the
Ohio Democratic Party’s executive committee, said he was in a corner
behind Acton as she spoke. Then, he said, he could tell that something
was going on among those in the crowd facing Acton, and he saw two
people who were standing in front of their mobility scooters “tumble to
the ground.”
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This undated booking photo provided by Mahoning County Sheriff's
Office Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, shows Patrick Havas. (Mahoning County
Sheriff's Office via AP)
Havas’ attorney, J. Gerald Ingram, said at the hearing that his
client has lived with his mother in Canfield for the past 30 years
and is not a flight risk.
“He really has nowhere to go,” said Ingram, who declined to make any
comments after the hearing.
The Ohio gubernatorial race is one of the most high-profile races
this year as the campaigns enter the final six weeks of campaigning
before the election in November. Acton is facing Republican Vivek
Ramaswamy, who has parlayed his national name recognition, tech
industry connections and alliance with President Donald Trump into a
record fundraising haul. Ramaswamy’s campaign called the incident
unacceptable.
The judge on Tuesday ordered that Havas have no contact with Acton
or the two people who were knocked down, and that he forfeit any
guns. He was also ordered to refrain from speaking with the media.
Addie Bullock, spokesperson for the Acton campaign, said in a
statement following the hearing that Acton and her husband were
“grateful to see the rule of law upheld,” and extended their
“continued appreciation to law enforcement.”
Former U.S. Rep. John Boccieri, a Democratic candidate for the Ohio
House, said he was near Acton in the tent when Havas “came in very
aggressively” with his cellphone in the air screaming Acton’s name
while rushing toward her. He said officers quickly “sprang into
action,” grabbed the man and pulled him out of the tent.
Boccieri said he immediately jumped forward to make sure Acton was
OK, which she was. And, he said, she’d already started helping a man
who was face down in the mud after being knocked down.
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Stengle contributed to this report from Dallas.
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