COLUMBUS, Ohio — Beef at a Beef Expo has now spawned a criminal investigation.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has been named a suspect in a criminal investigation, according to his primary challenger’s campaign.
Joe Blystone, a Republican, is facing DeWine in the May primary to be Ohio’s chief executive. Last month, the two attended Ohio’s Beef Expo Convention in Columbus. Cell phone video posted on social media shows the men conversing with one another in passing before things got heated.
The video purports to show the Governor placing his hand on Blystone’s arm in a cajoling manner to utter something flattery, when Blystone is seen swatting the Governor’s hand away. That’s when things got tense with DeWine’s facial expression vividly changing. Blystone said DeWine told him the incumbent was going to “kick his ass.” The video shows that DeWine’s state trooper security detail immediately swooped in and escorted the Governor away, quickly de-escalating the situation.
While DeWine’s campaign and office has not commented on what was exactly said between the two at the expo, the Governor told the Dispatch in Columbus that he told Blystone something along the lines that the incumbent would prevail in the election, stopping short of confirming the utterance of a threat or profanities.
On Tuesday, Blystone’s campaign released a police report to the media that shows the Lithopolis farmer had asked the Highway Patrol to open a criminal investigation for menacing into the Governor. As of Tuesday night, the criminal report shows the case as “under investigation.”
The Highway Patrol was not immediately available for comment. DeWine’s team did not issue a response when asked by the Guardian. T
The election is May 3.