Haitian Bridge Alliance Takes Action Against Trump and JD Vance
It’s a developing story, but here are some important details.
Legal Action Initiated
The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has filed a lawsuit in the Clark County Municipal Court against Donald Trump and JD Vance on numerous charges. This is good news, but what really stands out is that they are asking for the immediate arrest of both of them.
Understanding the Legal Grounds
Ohio law, specifically R.C. 2935.09, allows private citizens to file criminal charges. This law requires the court to either issue arrest warrants or refer the matter to the prosecuting attorney for investigation.
Charges Filed
Here are the charges listed:
- Disrupting Public Service: Violating R.C. 2909.04(A) and (B) by causing widespread bomb and other threats that disrupted public services in Springfield, Ohio.
- Making False Alarms: Violating R.C. 2917.32(A) by knowingly causing alarm in the Springfield community by repeating lies that state and local officials have said were false.
- Telecommunications Harassment: Violating R.C. 2917.21(A) and S.C.O. § 537.08 by spreading false claims during the presidential debate, campaign rallies, nationally televised interviews, and on social media.
- Aggravated Menacing: Violating R.C. 2903.21(A) by making intimidating statements with the intent to abuse, threaten, or harass, including Trump’s threat to deport legal immigrants to Venezuela.
- Aggravated Menacing: Violating R.C. 2903.21(A) by causing others to falsely believe that members of Springfield’s Haitian community would cause serious harm.
- Complicity: Violating R.C. 2923.03(A) and S.C.O. § 501.10 by conspiring and spreading lies that caused innocent parties to be implicated in their crimes.
Next Steps
The court will now decide how to handle this under Ohio law. The Chandra Law Firm has filed the suit on behalf of the plaintiffs. You can read their entire blog entry here, and the 6-page charging statement here.
Probable Cause Explained
The Haitian Bridge Alliance asks the court to find probable cause that criminal charges are warranted. Probable cause exists when the facts and circumstances known are sufficient to make a reasonable person believe that an offense has been committed. This is a lower threshold than “by a preponderance of the evidence,” which requires more precision and certainty.
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