Last month, a Haitian group filed a complaint seeking criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance over statements the Republicans made concerning the debate over whether Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, are eating locals’ pets.
“[Haitian Bridge Alliance] filed this criminal charge to hold Trump and Vance accountable for the devastating harm they caused our community in Springfield and has impacted Haitians around the United States,” said HBA co-founder and executive director Guerline Jozef in a statement.
But the matter hit a roadblock over the weekend when a judicial panel declined to issue arrest warrants for the two.
[T]he Clark County Municipal Court announced that they found no probable cause to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summons as the Haitian group requested.
The court did, however, refer the case to county prosecutors.
"The conclusion of whether the evidence and causation necessary for probable cause exists to commence a prosecution of the alleged offenses is best left in the investigatory hands of the prosecution," the judges wrote in their decision.
The HBA's case requests charges of felony inducing panic, disrupting public services, making false alarms, two counts of complicity, two counts of telecommunications harassment and aggravated menacing.
The judges that reviewed the case said particular consideration should be given to "the strong constitutional protections afforded to speech, and political speech in particular," adding that because of the proximity of the election and the "contentious" nature of the issue of immigration, "the Court cannot automatically presume the good faith nature of the affidavits." (Newsweek)
In a statement to the Associated Press, Trump-Vance campaign communications director Steven Cheung said the Republican presidential nominee was "rightfully highlighting the failed immigration system that [Vice President] Kamala Harris has overseen, bringing thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into communities like Springfield and many others across the country."
