The original affidavit, filed by Guerline Joseph on behalf of the national nonprofit the Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), asks a Municipal Court judge to charge Vance and Trump with disrupting public services, making false alarms, two counts of complicity, two counts of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing.
The HBA asks that the court find probable cause for the charges and issue arrest warrants for Trump and Vance.
Under Ohio law, a private citizen seeking to “cause an arrest or prosecution” can file an affidavit with “a reviewing official” — a judge, prosecuting attorney or magistrate — to have them review the facts and decide if a complaint should be filed.
The updated filing alleges that free speech cannot be used as a defense, as Trump and Vance’s actions disrupted public service.
“Trump and Vance engaged in a purposeful pattern of conduct to impede public services in Springfield. Despite seeing that Springfield was suffering from repeated bomb threats, evacuations, hospital lockdowns, necessity of state-trooper deployment, and closures of government buildings, they continued to double, triple, and quadruple down on their false claims,” the affidavit stated. “ ... Trump’s and Vance’s refusals to stop, despite serious chaos they were inflicting and the governor’s and mayor’s pleas, highlights their criminal purpose in spreading these lies. The chaos caused was the purpose, and the First Amendment affords no protection for that campaign of criminal conduct.”
The affidavit alleges that Trump and Vance’s actions “were not just hateful, they were calculated to stir alarm and emotional distress in the community.”
According to the filing, if a citizen charges a felony in a filed affidavit, the reviewing judge “must issue a warrant for the arrest of the person charged” unless the judge believes the “charge lacks merit or was filed in bad faith.”
How does court process work?
Municipal Clerk of Courts Sheila (Rice) Henry, told the News-Sun that administrative Judge Valerie Wilt was assigned the Trump/Vance case and immediately started studying it, following the law to the letter.
Wilt made an en banc ruling, meaning that all three Municipal Court judges have to review and decide upon the case. According to a court filing, the case “presents an issue of importance and significant public interest.”
A timeline for the cases is not yet clear, Henry said.
Trump response
When previously reached for comment, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung didn’t comment directly on the court filing, but said that Trump is “rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country.”
According to local and state Republican leaders, the majority of Haitian immigrants in Springfield are believed to be in the country legally, contrary to the Trump campaign’s comments, with many Haitians having Temporary Protected Status, a legal status.
In interviews, on social media and during a presidential debate, Trump and Vance amplified claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating residents’ pet cats and dogs. Local police, as well as city and county officials, have repeatedly said those claims are baseless.
After the claims spread nationally, via Trump, Vance and thousands of others, Springfield started getting threats of violence. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said many of the threats came from overseas, while others were from domestic sources.
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