COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a letter to local and state law enforcement agencies, Attorney General Dave Yost has volunteered his office’s full support into the investigation of a threatening phone call made to a pair of local legislators.
The call under investigation was made to House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes and allegedly included threats of violence against her and her father, State Senator Vernon Sykes.
Akron Police have not released any details regarding the threat outside of the fact that it was delivered via phone.
“Please accept this letter as my offer to support your investigation to the fullest extent possible,” Yost wrote. “Whether it is technological assistance from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, or assistance from our special prosecution unit, we stand ready to aid your efforts as needed.”
The letter was addressed to Chief Kenneth Ball, Akron Police Department; Colonel Richard Fambro, Ohio State Highway Patrol; and Sheriff Steve Barry, Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
“There is no place in our public discourse for threats of violence against public servants. No matter how divided Ohioans may be on a particular policy or piece of legislation, we cannot allow public servants to be intimidated by threats of harm to their person,” the letter closes.
Last week, Emilia Sykes spoke with 3News about Gov. Mike DeWine's efforts to address the disproportionate number of African Americans who have contracted COVID-19.
“I worry that it’s just too little, too late,” said Sykes.
On Thursday, DeWine announced initial findings from his Minority Health Task Force, that called for data-driven awareness efforts and more testing of minorities.
Sykes said the governor waited too long to save lives.
“We heard the announcement about the messaging campaign. You know it's kind of hard to start a message campaign two months into something, and shift, so we missed the boat on that one,” said Rep. Sykes.
In Ohio, African Americans make up 14% of the population. Yet, blacks account for 31% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations, and only 10% have been tested.
DeWine and legislative leaders issued strong condemnations of the threatening call on Tuesday.
"I was very disturbed to learn that threats of violence were made over the weekend against Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes and State Senator Vernon Sykes. It is wrong. It is reprehensible, and it is unconscionable to threaten someone with violence for doing the job they were elected to do. Simply put: hatred has no place in Ohio, and violence will not be tolerated," said DeWine in a statement.