MANSFIELD – The final night of the Richland County Fair ended with a fight in the middle of the fairgrounds.
Maj. Joe Masi with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office stated that at approximately 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, he received a call about a disturbance.
“A group of about 75 to 100 adults and juveniles were involved in a fight in front of Fairhaven Hall,” Masi said. “When our deputies arrived the crowd quickly dispersed, and there were no injuries.”
Masi noted the incident was being monitored from above using the Ohio Homeland Security’s SkyWatch tower, a manned mobile surveillance system that observes the fairgrounds from a vantage point 20-30 feet above the crowds. The Sheriff’s Office was notified when SkyWatch reported the incident had escalated.
Jason Snyder, president of the Richland County Agricultural Society that coordinates the fair, said while a large crowd was involved observing the fight, a video circulating on social media showed only approximately 6-10 people were actually involved in a brawl.
“Our security handled everything flawlessly,” Snyder said. “They broke it up and started escorting people out.”
The incident happened shortly before the fairgrounds’ official closing time at 11 p.m. on Saturday.
In addition to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office, other responding agencies included the Ontario Police Department, the Mansfield Police Department, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
A second incident at the Richland County Fair on Saturday involved a suspect stealing a tip jar from a concession booth. Snyder said the suspect was apprehended shortly after by a Sheriff’s deputy and two members of the Richland County Fair Board.
