A man accused of knocking an elderly couple to the ground in an attempt to confront Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton on Sunday has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the incident.
Patrick Havas, 38, on Tuesday appeared via video in a Mahoning County court hearing to face two charges of assault, one charge of disorderly conduct and one charge of inducing panic. He entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.
Acton, a Democrat, was visiting the annual Canfield Fair in Canfield on Sunday afternoon when the incident occurred. Havas allegedly pushed his way through a crowd in an attempt to approach Acton, knocking two elderly people over in the process, according to an incident report obtained by NBC News on Tuesday.
Ohio state troopers working as Acton’s security detail grabbed Havas as he attempted to approach her, the report said. Law enforcement officials reported finding two handguns, a set of brass knuckles and a Taser on Havas after arresting him.
Havas never brandished a weapon during the incident, the incident report said.
A judge agreed to a $5,000 cash surety bond for Havas and ordered him to surrender any weapons he owns as a condition of the bond. Havas was also instructed not to speak to the media and to have no contact with the elderly couple or Acton.
Havas’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Tuesday’s hearing.
Records show that Havas was arrested in 2008 on a charge of petty theft. He pleaded no contest, and the charge was reduced to disorderly conduct.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro defended her office’s decision not to pursue felony charges against Havas. She noted that Havas never made physical contact with Acton or brandished a weapon.
Adults are allowed to possess a firearm without a permit under Ohio’s open-carry law, so long as they are not concealed under clothing. Maro told reporters that there were no charges that would fit “for simply possession of those weapons.”
“We’re not going to let emotions take over,” Maro said. “We’re going to follow the evidence. We’re going to follow the facts, and that’s how we’re going to prosecute.”
Acton’s campaign had asked for people to stop recording shortly before the incident, Maro said, but Havas was recording at the time. Havas consented to a “complete search” of his phone, according to Maro.
Prosecutors have video from his vantage point, which Maro said does not support a pursuit of felony charges.
“It shows him walking into the tent, recording, and moving forward, calling out her name ... Somebody in her security comes forward, and then his phone is either dropped or tousled, and that’s all we have,” Maro said.
On Monday, during a Labor Day parade in Cleveland, Acton described the incident as a “rough day,” according to NBC affiliate WKYC. She expressed gratitude to those who helped the injured people and the state troopers who provided security.
“I am a fierce warrior in this fight,” Acton said. “That’s exactly why I’m running. I refuse to look the other way, like people didn’t look the other way when I was a struggling kid in Youngstown, Ohio. I won’t look the other way, and you are refusing to look the other way.”
Three witnesses to the incident told NBC News that they saw the suspect knock two older attendees to the ground. They also saw Acton, a physician, help care for them in the aftermath.
The people’s names were redacted from the incident report, and NBC News was unable to reach them for comment Tuesday. They were treated on scene and released, the report said.
Former Rep. John Boccieri, D-Ohio, said he was within an “arm’s length” of Acton and that Havas made it “within feet” of the gubernatorial candidate. He described the incident as “an aggressive move from a very large man.”
“He was yelling, ‘Dr. Acton! Dr. Acton!’” Boccieri said. “And when the State Highway Patrol and the security detail grabbed him, he said, ‘I was just trying to ask a question.’”
