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Charges sought against Springfield woman who made first Haitian cat-eating post
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The woman who made the initial Facebook post last month claiming Haitians were stealing and eating cats could face charges alleging four criminal offenses.
• Who is she? Erika Lee of Springfield made the Facebook post with the title “Warning to all about our beloved pets and those around us,” claiming that a neighbor’s daughter’s friend had lost her cat and later found it hanging from a branch at a Haitian neighbor’s home, being carved up to be eaten.
• Post goes viral: The claims reached former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, who then amplified them. The Republican politicians are facing similar citizen-initiated charges by the Haitian Bridge Alliance.
• After the Facebook post: Hospitals, government buildings, schools and businesses have been subject to more than 30 bomb threats, which led Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to bring the Ohio State Highway Patrol to Springfield schools to sweep for threats daily, as well as other security measures throughout the community.
• Debunked claim: Springfield police and other authorities have said repeatedly that there is no evidence to support these claims.
• Who filed the charge? Mickeal Walters, a Springfield resident, said in the filing that “the criminal charges are warranted for the violated statutes due to the fear, induced panic, recklessness, carelessness, and the financial burden that has impacted the community.”
• What Erica Lee said: In an interview with NBC News, Lee said that while she has concerns about the impact on Springfield from the sudden population increase from Haitian immigration, she did not intend to villainize the Haitian community.
“I feel for the Haitian community,” she told NBC News. “If I was in the Haitians’ position, I’d be terrified, too, worried that somebody’s going to come after me because they think I’m hurting something that they love and that, again, that’s not what I was trying to do.”
The charges are disrupting public service, inducing panic, making false alarms and telecommunications harassment
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The process:
• Municipal Clerk of Courts Sheila (Rice) Henry told us that the court has never had special cases of this nature before, and staff, as well as administrative Judge Valerie Wilt, are following the law to the letter.
• Under Ohio law, a private citizen seeking to “cause an arrest or prosecution” can file an affidavit with “a reviewing official” — a judge, prosecuting attorney or magistrate — to have them review the facts and decide if a complaint should be filed.
• Henry said if an arrest warrant is necessary — they have been requested for Trump, Vance and Lee — the court will file one.
• In the Trump/Vance case, Wilt made an en banc ruling, meaning that all three Municipal Court judges have to review and decide upon the case. According to a court filing, the case “presents an issue of importance and significant public interest.”
• A timeline for the cases is not yet clear.