Ohio court refers case brought by citizens’ group against Trump, Vance to prosecutors

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio court has referred to county prosecutors a criminal case brought by a citizens’ group against the Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates over their comments about Haitian immigrants but rejected the group’s call to issue arrest warrants or misdemeanor summons.

Springfield officials said in a statement Saturday that the Clark County municipal court found no probable cause to issue warrants or summons on misdemeanor charges against former president Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. “The matter was then referred to the Clark County prosecutor’s office for further investigation,” city officials said.

The Springfield News-Sun reports that the judicial panel said particular consideration should be given to “the strong constitutional protections afforded to speech, and political speech in particular” with the election so close and the “contentious” nature of the issue of immigration.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit group representing the Haitian community, last month invoked a private-citizen right to file charges over the chaos and threats experienced since Trump first spread false claims about legal immigrants there during a presidential debate.

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