Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski is facing heavy criticism after he suggested in a Facebook post that conservatives "write down all the addresses" of people with signs in their yards backing Vice President Kamala Harris' election bid so they know where to send the "illegal human 'locust[s].'"
Zuchowski, who is running for reelection, made the comments on Friday in identical posts shared on both his personal and professional Facebook accounts.
He wrote:
"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 the addresses of the their New families...who supported their arrival!"
Zuchowski's racist post included a screenshot from a Fox News broadcast alleging Harris and her "OPEN BORDERS ARE DESTROYING SMALL TOWNS" while reporting on the nationwide controversy in Springfield, Ohio.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol has been deployed to monitor schools in the town following 33 bomb threats made since late last week, when former President Donald Trump promoted the unfounded allegation that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were consuming household pets in response to a question about immigration during last week's presidential debate.
You can see what Zuchowski wrote below.
Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski/Facebook
Zuchowski's social media remarks left many in Portage County stunned, prompting several to file complaints with the ACLU, various state and federal agencies, and even members of Congress, according to the Portager.
The ACLU’s Ohio chapter denounced Zuchowski’s comments, stating that displaying political signs is "most decidedly, protected core First Amendment speech" and added:
“For the sitting sheriff of Portage County to be engaging in the very type of behavior he’s meant to combat is despicable."
Anthony Badalamenti, a Republican county commissioner, responded in a video stating that he would resign from the county’s Republican Central Committee, adding:
“Lying, distrust, and misleading people are against my beliefs. I was hired to do a job for Portage County and I think I've done it well. This is not the leadership I want to be part of. You can hold your breath, you don't have to have hearings, we don't have to have a discussion."
"This is not the leadership I would follow and I would encourage others not to follow the same. To me, the damage this group of folks have done to the Republican Party is heartbreaking."
You can hear his remarks in the video below.
Others have also condemned Zuchowski's actions and demanded his resignation.
Since Harris joined the Democratic ticket in July, she and Trump have traded jabs over their differing stances on immigration and border control. Republicans have frequently attacked Harris, branding her a failed “border czar.”
Although President Joe Biden tasked her with addressing the underlying causes of migration early in his term, she was never actually responsible for managing the border itself. Meanwhile, Harris and her party have pointed to the rhetoric of the far-right Project 2025 as a warning to voters about the risks of a second Trump presidency.
Portage County, roughly 180 miles northeast of Clark County, where Springfield is located, is a predominantly White community with lower-than-average immigration rates.
Renee Romine, president of the county’s NAACP chapter, shared that she’s been inundated with calls and messages from residents concerned about the recent Facebook posts, lamenting:
"It's hard to hear. It's hard to see."
Some community members have expressed uncertainty about keeping their yard signs up, while others now feel hesitant about seeking help from the sheriff's office. There are also growing concerns over safety on Election Day.
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