CANFIELD, OH — The armed Ohio man investigators said set off a security scare involving Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday.
Patrick Havas, a 38-year old from Canfield, pleaded not guilty plea to four misdemeanor charges: two counts of assault, one count of disorderly conduct and one count of inducing panic during his arraignment in Canfield Tuesday.
Ohio troopers and the Acton campaign say he "lunged" at the Democrat at the Canfield Fair over Labor Day weekend.
Havas did not brandish any weapons, but was carrying two pistols and a taser in the shape of brass knuckles, police said.
"They weren't used in any way shape or form," said Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro. "Everything he had was legal under the state of Ohio's open carry."
Acton was unharmed, but according to law enforcement Havas knocked over two elderly people, injuring them as he pushed through the crowd.
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A newly released report from the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office doesn't give much insight into Havas' motive, as the majority of the document is redacted due to what the agency calls "investigatory work product."
But, according to the report, after knocking the two people to the ground, Acton's security team grabbed Havas "as he approached the candidate."
Tuesday, Maro said Havas never got near Acton based on video from the suspect's cell phone.
The prosecutor said Havas turned the phone over to investigators after his arrest.
"The information we received is the Acton camp requested individuals to stop recording shortly before this incident occurred," said Maro. "So, at this point, the video we have is the defendant's."
"It shows him walking into the tent recording, and moving forward calling out her name," said Maro. "Somebody in her security comes forward and then his phone is... dropped..."
Maro said an preliminary search of Havas's phone found no major plot.
"He appeared in that tent wanting to ask questions... They found no threats, no ongoing obsession," she said.
Following Tuesday's arraignment, Defense Attorney Gerald Ingram did not answer a question about his client's intentions Sunday.
The judge set bond for Havas at $5,000 cash. She also ordered him to have no contact with Acton or the elderly victims.
He also must surrender his guns and may not speak to the media.
Who is he?
According to public records, Havas has voted in a Republican primary while living in Canfield, a suburb of Youngstown. He is a licensed practical nurse in Kent.
During a background check, we didn't find any significant criminal history, as pointed out by defense attorney J. Gerald Ingram.
"He's lived with his mother for the past 30 years... He's not at risk of flight. He really has nowhere to go," Ingram.
But his connections to politics go further.
Multiple GOP sources confirm he is the brother of Franklin County Republican leader Andrew Havas, who used to be on U.S. Sen. Jon Husted's campaign team. In 2008, Andrew Havas was charged with corruption of a minor. He later pleaded down to assault and was sentenced to jail.
When this came to light this summer due to a report by NBC News, Andrew Havas resigned. At that time, Husted's spokesperson said they accepted his resignation and had not known about the criminal charges.
Andrew Havas is also a political donor.
In July, Acton posted on social media, calling out opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, saying she found it "appalling" that he "accepted over $10,000 from Andrew Havas."
Andrew Havas didn't respond to comment for this story, but on social media, he claimed Acton is lying about the incident involving his brother at the fair.
Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at Morgan.Trau@wews.com.
