At the center of the recent debate on immigration is Springfield, Ohio, where several high-profile Republicans have shared unfounded claims that the Haitian immigrant population there has been killing ducks and kidnapping pets for food.
During the Sept. 10 presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump said, “In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there.”
With the claims about the Haitian immigrants in Springfield going viral, people on social media are sharing a video clip as proof of what’s happening in Springfield. The video appears to be from a police officer’s body camera that shows a woman being arrested for eating a cat.
The posts say the woman in the video is a Haitian immigrant, implying this video proves the unsubstantiated anti-immigrant claims about the situation in Springfield, Ohio, are true.
People in the comments of the X posts questioned the legitimacy of the video. VERIFY readers Linda and Ronda also sent us questions about the video.
THE QUESTION
Does this video show a Haitian immigrant in Ohio being arrested for eating a cat?
THE SOURCES
- Canton Police Department Media Relations Officer Lt. Dennis Garren
- Canton, Ohio, police report from Aug. 16, 2024
- Ohio Secretary of State voter records for Allexis Ferrell of Canton, Ohio
THE ANSWER
No, this video doesn’t show a Haitian immigrant in Ohio being arrested for eating a cat.
WHAT WE FOUND
The video does show a woman in Ohio being arrested for killing and eating a cat. But the woman in the video isn’t a Haitian immigrant and the video wasn’t filmed in Springfield.
The video, taken from a police body camera, shows Allexis Ferrell, a 27-year-old woman from Canton, Ohio, being arrested on Aug. 16, 2024, for allegedly torturing, killing and eating a cat. Ferrell was charged with prohibitions concerning a companion animal, cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct.
Canton is located about 170 miles from Springfield. Canton Police Department Media Relations Officer Lt. Dennis Garren told VERIFY that “this incident has nothing to do with what is being reported in Springfield, Ohio.”
Further, Garren said, “We have no reason to believe that she is not a U.S. citizen. She has lived in Canton for many years.” According to court records from Stark County, where Canton is located, Ferrell has a court record dating back to at least 2017.
Ferrell is also a registered voter in Stark County, according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office. To vote in Ohio, a person has to be a citizen of the United States.
So, we can VERIFY this video doesn’t show a Haitian immigrant in Springfield being arrested for killing and eating a cat.
Karen Graves, a spokesperson with the City of Springfield, called the claims about Springfield “rumors.”
“There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,” Graves told VERIFY. “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.”
VERIFY partner station WKYC contributed to this report.
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