PORTAGE COUNTY, Ohio — Portage County's sheriff appeared to call for the community to record the addresses of residents who publicly display support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski, who took office in 2021, made the below remarks in Facebook posts shared to two separate accounts on the night of Sept. 13.
"When people ask me...What's gonna happen if the Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say...write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo...when the Illegal human "Locust" (which she supports!) Need places to live...We'll already have the addresses of the their New families...who supported their arrival!" Zuchowski wrote.
Zuchowski limited the comments on the post.
Ravenna resident Bill Barber has a Harris sign on his lawn.
"I was really a bit angry," he told 3News' Kaitor Kay. "It felt like someone was trying to intimidate me, a threatening post to me and my wife because we have a sign out here that says who we want to win for president and it’s a threatening implication for those who are immigrants coming in. I’m worried about the hate that he’s starting to bring out."
Zuchowski, a Republican, is up for reelection this November. Jon Barber, a longtime law enforcement officer and Zuchowski's Democratic opponent, took great issue with what he saw as "racism" from Zuchowski.
"Calling the vice president a terrible name and calling people of immigration status a terrible name ... I don't know any word to use other than racism," Barber said. "It's an unfortunate thing."
Meanwhile, Portage County Commissioner Tony Badalamenti told 3News he has reported Zuchowski's post to the Ohio Attorney General's Office since he has no authority over elected officials.
"I believe that if you’re a Democrat or Republican and I’m opposite, it’s your choice and I should have the free right and will without being intimidated that I can share my beliefs or have a belief in whatever I do," Badalamenti said. "That was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen somebody post on Facebook. Totally ignorant."
3News reached out to Zuchowski for comment Monday morning and his administrative assistant told us she would relay our request to him. We have not heard back since then.
The treasurer from Zuchowski's reelection campaign declined to comment.