2 callers claimed immigrants were taking geese from a Springfield park; ODNR found no evidence

SPRINGFIELD — Investigators are revealing new information in their investigations regarding reports that Haitians in Springfield are harvesting geese.

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On Aug. 26, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office received a call on their non-emergency line from a man reporting seeing four Haitians, each with a goose in their hands, while riding on a trail in Springfield.

“They went up toward, toward the middle again, toward downtown,” the caller said, as he approached Water and Warder Streets.

The report led to the Springfield Police Division being dispatched to the area.

“We have no other information to provide on this call, or possible outcomes as this was our only record of the incident. At this time we have not found any other record concerning (Haitians) harvesting geese,” a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said.

Also in response to our public records request, the sheriff’s office said they’ve “not found any record of (Haitians) eating pets.”

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News Center 7 reached out to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) about the Aug. 26 report. In response, a spokesperson for ODNR said the Aug. 26 report was one of two that the department has gotten this year, with the other being in March.

ODNR released the following statement in response to our request:

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife has a dedicated wildlife officer assigned to Clark County who routinely monitors Snyder Park in Springfield because it is a popular fishing area. That Wildlife Officer received calls on two separate occasions from people who reported witnessing individuals of Haitian descent taking waterfowl out of Snyder Park. Upon follow-up, no supporting evidence was found of wildlife being illegally removed from the park in either case.

The first incident was reported on March 27, and the caller claimed they saw three people grab a live duck and goose, place them in a trash bag, and drive away. The officer monitored the area and did not find any evidence of a crime. The second incident was reported to ODNR by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office on August 26 with an initial report of two men and two women all carrying geese from the area. The officer was initially unable to reach the witness but later made contact. No supporting evidence to verify the claim was found.

—  Karina Cheung, Ohio Department of Natural Resources

The influx of immigrants in Springfield gained national attention this week when former President Donald Trump claimed immigrants in Springfield were eating pets.

The city had discredited the rumor before the debate, releasing the statement:

“In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community. Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents’ homes. Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic.”

— Karen Graves, Springfield Strategic Engagement Manager

An image of a man carrying what looked like a goose helped fuel the rumors, but a review of the image determined it was taken in Columbus, not Springfield.

Police video of a woman accused of killing and eating a cat also spread online. The arrested happened in Canton, not Springfield.

The woman is also not Haitian. She was born in Ohio and graduated from Canton’s McKinley High School in 2015, according to public records and newspaper reports the Associated Press reviewed.

Beyond the unfounded rumors, there are real issues at play when it comes to city resources.

News Center 7 has seen the topics on the number of immigrants in Springfield dominate recent city commission meetings at City Hall.

City leaders previously told News Center 7 the population increase is straining police, fire, hospital, housing, and translation services.

They’ve also emphasized that all of Springfield’s Haitian immigrants are here legally. They’re refugees under temporary protected status.

A couple of changes they’ve made to the city’s website recently is they’ve added an immigration “FAQ” page and they have another page with a template letter for people to write their state and federal lawmakers about the issue.

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