SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Forget the rumors about ducks and geese disappearing from public parks: In this beleaguered city, residents say their biggest problem so far is reckless driving by Haitian immigrants unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws that are turning the city into a war zone.
And the consequences can be deadly. The family of Springfield grandmother Cathy Heaton experienced this firsthand when a Haitian immigrant struck her as she was picking up trash on Dec. 1, the day after her 71st birthday.
The driver was acquitted.
“It was about 5:40 a.m. and the trash collection had come early that day, so that probably woke her up,” Mandy Heaton, Kathy's daughter-in-law, told The Washington Post.
“She was the type of woman who liked to keep busy.”
Kathy was beaten so severely that her socks were left on the sidewalk and her body was thrown across the road, where police reported that debris was strewn across the road and clumps of hair were found in the shattered windshield of her car.
But three days later, prosecutors decided not to charge the driver of the car that hit her, 38-year-old Robenson Lewis, even though Mundy claimed the license plates had expired.
“They felt it wasn't something that merited charges. I don't know why. All I know is that the two prosecutors met and felt that it shouldn't be charged. We were shocked,” Mundy said.
“I don't believe this guy woke up in the morning and started his day intending to hurt somebody, but that's what happened,” she added.
Robenson declined to comment about the accident when contacted by The Washington Post.
Mundy and countless Springfield residents blame the roughly 20,000 Haitian immigrants who have flooded into this city of just 60,000 in just a few years, longtime residents say, getting temporary driver's licenses without learning how to drive safely in the U.S. — or knowing how to drive at all.
“There must be eight to 10 accidents a day here,” one resident, who asked not to be named, told The Washington Post.
“I've seen cars run into buildings and onto sidewalks. I think everyone deserves help, but we shouldn't be providing cars or licenses until people know how to drive safely here.”
Residents have posted shocking footage on social media showing cars falling into ditches, wrecked at intersections, crossing roads into oncoming traffic and even crashing into homes and shops.
These accounts echo the symptoms Mandy and her family see on a daily basis, as even something as basic as walking across a parking lot, let alone going for a drive with their young twins, leaves them “constantly stressed and anxious.”
“Haitians are driving the wrong way down one-way streets, making illegal U-turns in the middle of the road, driving recklessly and damaging property, street signs are being taken down and garages are being vandalized,” she said.
“They are being forced into a situation where they are being licensed with minimal education and training on our laws and regulations.”
Her mother-in-law is not the only person to be killed by a Haitian driver.
In August 2023, 11-year-old Aiden Clark was killed when the school bus he was riding in flipped over and was driven by a 36-year-old Haitian man without a U.S. license. At least 20 children were taken to the hospital.
The driving issue has attracted so much attention that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week that he would send $2.5 million in aid, as well as additional State Highway Patrol troopers to Springfield to help keep order on the roads.
On Tuesday, Mandy and her husband, Chris, gave emotional testimony before the Springfield City Council, urging lawmakers to pass “Cathy's Law,” which would require all immigrants seeking an Ohio driver's license to take the same tests and restrictions required of Americans driving for the first time.
“We will be lobbying to enforce the same regulations that my 7-year-old twins, who lost their grandmother that night, have to follow when they get their driver's license,” her husband said.
Springfield was in the spotlight this week after allegations spread that Haitian immigrants were killing local cats, ducks and geese for food, and vice presidential candidate and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance said his office has been inundated with reports.
Local officials denied that this was happening, but an August police report obtained by The Federalist on Wednesday said four Haitians were seen stealing geese from a local park. The city manager told The Post that the report was unfounded.
The claim went mainstream after Donald Trump raised it during the presidential debate Tuesday night.
“In Springfield, they're eating dogs, they're eating people who come there, they're eating cats, they're eating the pets of people who live there. This is what's going on in our country and it's unfortunate,” he said, although the debate moderator insisted the city denies all allegations.
Neither the Clark County Prosecutor's Office nor the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to requests for comment. The Springfield Sheriff's Office also did not respond to a request for information about reports of crashes involving Haitian migrants.
