CANFIELD, Ohio. Authorities have identified the man arrested Sunday after he pushed through a crowd toward Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair as Patrick M. Havas, 38, of Canfield.
Hopewell Heritage Headlines previously reported the confrontation itself: Acton was not hurt, two older attendees were knocked down, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on her security detail stopped the man before he reached her, and he was taken into custody. This report focuses on what has been established since he was named, based on jail records, court records, voter records, and statements from law enforcement.
Who authorities say he is
Havas lives in Canfield, in Mahoning County. Public records cited by the Cincinnati Enquirer and Akron Beacon Journal show he graduated from Stow-Munroe Falls High School in 2006 and later attended Youngstown State University and the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center. Those reports say it is not clear whether he earned a degree from Youngstown State.
Newsweek, citing records it reviewed along with reporting by TiffinOhio.net and The Daily Beast, described Havas as a licensed nurse. Hopewell Heritage Headlines has not independently confirmed a current Ohio nursing license. His last recorded vote, according to Newsweek, was in 2024.
Mahoning County jail records list him as a 5-foot-11, 298-pound white male, booked Sept. 6, 2026, and held in pretrial custody.
Charges, bond, and next court date
Jail records and multiple law-enforcement statements say Havas was booked on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct. Some accounts, including The New York Times citing Sheriff Jerry Greene, describe the assault counts as misdemeanors, one for each person knocked down. The Youngstown Vindicator, citing jail records Sunday, described the assault counts as felonies. The sheriff’s office has said detectives will file charges after consulting the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office. That review was still underway as of Monday morning.
He is being held at the Mahoning County Jail. Jail records and local reporting say no bond was set on the assault counts. Because Monday is Labor Day, he is expected to make an initial appearance in Mahoning County Court in Canfield on Tuesday.
Havas has been charged, not convicted. Under Ohio law he is presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise.
What investigators say about the weapons
After the arrest, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office said they recovered two pistols. Accounts also list a Taser, brass knuckles, or a Taser shaped like brass knuckles. Investigators have been consistent on one point: the weapons were not brandished and were not removed from their holsters.
Ohio law allows residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit. The Canfield Fair allows firearms in most outdoor areas and prohibits them inside marked buildings. Possession of the weapons, by itself, does not resolve the pending assault and disorderly conduct case. The highway patrol is also assessing whether the incident involved a broader threat.
Voter affiliation, and how Ohio records that
Voter records reviewed by TiffinOhio.net and Newsweek list Havas as a Republican. Ohio does not require a party choice at first registration. County boards record affiliation based on which party’s primary ballot a voter has requested. Those records show he has been registered in Mahoning County since 2012. Party affiliation is a public fact. It is not, by itself, proof of motive. Sheriff’s officials have not publicly assigned a political motive.
Prior Mahoning County record
Online court records reviewed by The Vindicator and Newsweek show one Mahoning County conviction: disorderly conduct in 2008. He was also charged then with petty theft after an accusation that he took three movies from a Canfield Giant Eagle. The theft charge was dismissed. He pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and received a suspended 30-day jail sentence. Newsweek also reported traffic fines in 2008 and 2011. Those older cases are separate from Sunday’s charges.
A possible family connection already in the governor’s race
Public-records databases cited by the Enquirer and Beacon Journal list Andrew James Havas as a possible household member and possible brother of Patrick Havas. The Columbus Dispatch reported the two have shared an address. Hopewell Heritage Headlines has not independently confirmed the family relationship.
That name is already part of the 2026 governor’s race. In July, NBC News reported that Andrew Havas resigned as a volunteer for U.S. Sen. Jon Husted’s campaign after earlier reporting on a 2009 Mahoning County case. Court records in that matter show a sexual-misconduct accusation involving a 15-year-old was reduced to a misdemeanor assault plea. He served 90 days in jail. Husted’s campaign said the conviction was not disclosed and that he was asked to resign. Acton later criticized Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy for accepting more than $10,000 in donations from Andrew Havas.
A possible family tie does not establish that Patrick Havas acted at anyone else’s direction. No law-enforcement agency has alleged that.
What officials have said since he was named
Gov. Mike DeWine said he spoke with Acton, confirmed she was unharmed, and called violence or threats at political events unacceptable. The Ramaswamy campaign called the episode “completely unacceptable.” Husted and former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also condemned the confrontation and praised the troopers on scene. Acton’s campaign, as previously reported, thanked law enforcement and said she was praying for those who were knocked down. Sheriff Greene said the two older adults who fell were assessed and chose not to seek further treatment.
What remains unanswered
As of Monday, Sept. 7, authorities had not released a motive. They had not said whether Havas has a lawyer. Final charging language from the prosecutor was still pending. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s threat assessment was not complete.
Hopewell Heritage Headlines will update this story when the prosecutor files formal charges or when Havas appears in Canfield court.
