Ohio sheriff tells residents to "write down the addresses" of Harris-Walz supporters

An Ohio sheriff told people to “write down the addresses” of anybody who supports Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, sparking fear and division among residents in Portage County, located 30 miles south of Cleveland. 

On Friday, Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski posted the threatening message on both his public and private Facebook accounts: “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!” Zuchowski wrote. "Sooo...when the Illegal human 'Locust' (which she supports!) Need places to live...We'll already have the addresses of their New families...who supported their arrival!”

The posts have been shared over 200 times and have amassed chaos in the comment section, which Zuchowski has now limited.

It's not the first time Zuchowski's been involved in controversy since he first took office three years ago. In 2021, he criticized Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team for changing its name from the “Indians” to the “Guardians,” a move long advocated for by Native American groups. Last year, The Portage County NAACP also accused Zuchowski’s department of disproportionately targeting minority drivers.

Residents in Portage County were “surprised and fearful” after Zuchowski's latest post, The Portager reported. Before he limited the comments, users had replied with the names and addresses of Portage County residents who were displaying Harris-Walz signs.

“I have a sign in my yard," one frightened resident told The Portager. "Our sheriff is asking MAGA to write down our addresses. This is not normal and it is scary."

Zuchowski’s threat even prompted Portage County Commissioner Tony Badalamenti to resign from the Republican Central Committee.

“Lying, mistrust and bullying, misleading people are against my beliefs,” Badalamenti said in a video posted to Facebook after the committee refused to condemn Zuchowski’s comments.  “To me, the damage which this group of folks have done to the Republican Party is heartbreaking."