A frightening confrontation at an Ohio fair took an unsettling turn after the armed man accused of charging toward Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton was identified as the brother of a former Republican campaign volunteer with a criminal conviction.

Patrick Havas, 38, allegedly forced his way through a crowd at the Canfield Fair on Sunday while carrying two pistols and a Taser.

Acton’s campaign said Havas “lunged” toward the 60-year-old candidate and injured multiple people in the process. Acton escaped unharmed, and officers quickly detained the suspect.

Authorities subsequently booked Havas on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct. The allegations have not yet been tested at trial, and the available reporting does not establish his motive.

But the incident became even more politically charged when attention turned to his brother, Andrew Havas—a former volunteer for Republican Sen. Jon Husted’s reelection campaign who resigned after journalists uncovered a years-old criminal case.

There is no evidence that Andrew Havas was involved in Sunday’s confrontation or that his previous case was connected to the alleged actions of his brother.

Armed Suspect Allegedly Pushed Through Crowd

Witness accounts described a chaotic scene inside the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s tent.

Patrick Havas allegedly shoved through the gathering, knocking at least two older adults to the ground as he moved toward the front, where Acton was meeting supporters.

Police reportedly recovered two pistols and a Taser from his possession. The reporting does not indicate that any of the weapons were fired or displayed during the confrontation.

After officers restrained Havas, Acton reportedly moved into the crowd to help the injured volunteers.

Campbell City Council member Mary Janek said she heard Acton tell those nearby, “We are sick of the hatred.”

The incident occurred in deeply conservative political territory. Canfield is located in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, which Trump carried by 33 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

Acton, a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health, is running against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine.

Brother Resigned From Republican Campaign

The suspect’s brother, Andrew Havas, had been named a volunteer county campaign chair for Husted in Franklin County.

NBC News reported in July that Andrew had been charged with sexual misconduct involving a minor following a 2008 incident with a 15-year-old in Mahoning County. He was 22 at the time.

According to court records reviewed by NBC, prosecutors accused him of knowing the minor was between the ages of 13 and 16 or acting recklessly regarding the minor’s age.

As part of a plea agreement, the sexual-misconduct charge was reduced to a misdemeanor assault count.

Andrew pleaded guilty to that reduced charge in 2009. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay a fine. Sheriff’s records reportedly show that he served his sentence in the Mahoning County jail from May through August of that year.

Years later, he became involved in Husted’s political operation.

The campaign publicly identified Andrew as a Franklin County chair in December. He subsequently attended campaign gatherings and introduced Husted at a Christmas event, addressing the audience before shaking the senator’s hand.

That relationship ended after NBC contacted the campaign about his criminal history.

Husted’s team said Andrew had not disclosed the case. The campaign said it accepted his resignation immediately after learning about it.

Again, Andrew’s conviction is separate from the allegations now facing Patrick. A relative’s past wrongdoing does not establish another person’s guilt, motive or political intent.

Republicans Condemn the Confrontation

Ramaswamy did not personally issue a statement, but his communications director, Connie Luck, condemned the incident on behalf of his campaign.

“Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence,” the statement said. “What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics.”

DeWine also responded publicly, praising law enforcement for acting quickly and declaring that violence—or the threat of violence—at political events is always unacceptable.

He said the case was now in the hands of law enforcement and would be investigated thoroughly.

That investigation will be crucial.

The presence of multiple weapons made the episode deeply alarming, but the known charges center on Havas’s alleged physical conduct in the crowd. Authorities have not publicly established why he approached Acton, whether he intended to use the weapons or whether the confrontation was politically motivated.

Those unanswered questions matter as Ohio enters an increasingly tense gubernatorial campaign.

Acton walked away physically unharmed. Others were reportedly injured, and a routine appearance at a county fair became a disturbing reminder of how quickly political events can descend into fear.

Now investigators must determine what Patrick Havas intended when he allegedly pushed through that crowd—and why he was carrying two pistols and a Taser while doing it.