RAVENNA, Ohio (WOIO) – The Portage County NAACP has called an emergency meeting after the Portage County Sheriff’s Office made allegations of voter intimidation in a post.

On Sunday, Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski posted the following on Facebook:

“Because of his position, I think he has to be very careful,” Margaret Jenkins said. “You don’t try to intimidate people with the signs.”

On Tuesday, the sheriff posted another message on Facebook:

Jonathan Diaz is the director of the Campaign Legal Center, responsible for advocacy and partnerships.

When asked if the sheriff’s initial post was an example of voter intimidation, he sent us the following statement:

“Federal law protects voters from coercion, threats or intimidation because of who they support in an election, including by local law enforcement officials who should know better. The Portage County Sheriff’s Office is irresponsible to say the least and could potentially violate state and federal laws prohibiting voter intimidation, especially given the current tensions in Ohio and across the country. Ohioans should be free to exercise their fundamental right to vote and show their support for any candidate without fear of threats or reprisals from their elected officials.” – Jonathan Diaz

19 News called and emailed the District Attorney’s Office to ask if any voter intimidation charges would be filed. We were told there was no one to answer my questions.

Our team also emailed the Attorney General’s office and received the following statement when asked about complaints about the sheriff:

“The Attorney General’s office does not have the direct authority to make a change in an elected official. If they are charged with a crime, our office can seek a stay through the Ohio Supreme Court. Under Ohio law, only the voter or the governor can remove a sheriff or prosecutor and only for reasons set forth in state law.” – Spokesperson

19 News also called the governor’s office and was told that the governor is aware of the Facebook posts, but would not comment at this time.

Our team has also contacted the State Secretary, but has not yet received a response.

19 The news did go through the sheriff’s office on Wednesday. We were told to give our information and someone would call us back, but no one did.

Our team also visited the GOP office where they were handing out his campaign signs, but were told they would not give an interview.

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