Local activist behind ‘Bad Bruce Exhibit’ sues Zuchowski for alleged retaliation

A Palmyra resident filed a federal lawsuit against Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski last month alleging the sheriff and his subordinates retaliated against him for creating a social media page critical of the sheriff’s office.

William Lane, a local hemp farmer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is asking the Ohio Northern District Court to award him $1.5 million in compensatory damages from Zuchowski and two other sheriff’s office employees, Capt. Robert James and Major Michael Davis. He’s seeking an additional $1.5 million in punitive damages.

Lane is also seeking $750,000 from Portage County in compensatory damages for its alleged role in permitting “a culture of corruption” in the sheriff’s office. The county’s top leadership “permitted and condoned” sheriff’s office employees destroying evidence and committing perjury, the lawsuit states.

No court dates have been set. Portage County Prosecutor Connie Lewandowski said the matter will be handled by independent attorneys because her office represents all elected officials, including the sheriff and county commissioners. Per department policy, she declined to comment on pending litigation.

Zuchowski did not return The Portager’s request for comment.

Read the lawsuit here

In April 2024, Lane began publishing Facebook posts on a page he created called “The Bad Bruce Exhibit.” He said the page was intended to encourage Portage County residents to support Zuchowski’s opponent, Jon Barber, in the November 2024 election. Barber lost the election by about 1,200 votes.

Lane’s lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 21, 2024, a person identifying himself as Jonathan Porter created a Facebook page entitled the “Will Lane Exhibit,” and published posts that included Lane’s home and email addresses and phone number. The posts also alleged that Lane was a narcotics user and dealer, and that he was a “woman beater,” the lawsuit states.

“None of the above statements is true,” the lawsuit states. “Jonathan Porter, the purported creator of the ‘Will Lane Exhibit’ did not exist. James, acting with Zuchowski’s knowledge and consent, actually posted the ‘Will Lane Exhibit,’ and created Jonathan Porter to conceal James’ and Zuchowski’s involvement with the publication of the ‘Will Lane Exhibit.’”

Lane told The Portager he filed the lawsuit because his complaints to the Portage County prosecutor’s office, Ohio governor’s and auditor’s offices, ACLU, attorney general’s office, FBI, and Bureau of Criminal Investigations were all ignored.

On his “Bad Bruce” page, Lane posted a variety of criticisms of Zuchowski and Davis, some of which are readily verifiable. Lane posted that Zuchowski encouraged supporters to compile a list of people who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. He also posted about the lawsuit filed by three Portage County cities against the sheriff’s office over a disbanded joint drug task force. That lawsuit was settled last year.

Other posts could not be immediately verified by The Portager. For example, Lane accused Zuchowski of creating a “hit list” of his perceived political enemies and violating Ohio public records laws. The lawsuit states that these allegations are true and, therefore, not libelous.

Lane also posted that Davis had been charged with domestic violence and “removed from a Trumbull County drug task force for falsely stating that someone had sold drugs to Davis.”

There are no Trumbull County court records about the domestic violence case, but Warren police records indicate an April 1997 arrest of someone named Michael Davis whose birth date matches that of the now-Portage County major. The charge was two counts of domestic violence.

Davis’s disciplinary record with the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office includes a June 4, 1997, letter from him acknowledging that he received disciplinary action amounting to 12 days off. A note from his superior related to the disciplinary action references the April incident.

Lane’s lawsuit alleges that the “Will Lane Exhibit” page is meant to retaliate against him, and to punish him for creating “The Bad Bruce Exhibit” page. He maintains that his creation of “The Bad Bruce Exhibit” page and the posts he made on it are protected by the First and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution: those protecting free speech and prohibiting states from abridging federally protected rights.

Lane’s lawsuit also states that Davis, acting with the sheriff’s knowledge and consent, tried to get the state to pull Lane’s license to grow industrial hemp, causing the farmer and political activist “substantial emotional and psychological distress.”

Alleging that he suffered humiliation, psychological and physical injuries, Lane is asking the court to award him $750,000 for the deprivation of his constitutional rights and an equal amount for defamation. He is also asking for $1.5 million for punitive damages from the three named defendants.

The lawsuit also names the government of Portage County as a defendant and requests $750,000 for its alleged role in retaining Zuchowski.

As an elected official, Zuchowski cannot simply be removed from office at the county’s behest. According to Ohio law, that would take the governor’s signature on a written complaint that would be filed with Portage County Common Pleas Court, which would then preside over a hearing. That proceeding would have to be held within 30 days of the governor’s signing the complaint.

Lane’s lawyer, Youngstown attorney Zachary Miller, told The Portager that it is possible for a county to be liable for the acts of an elected official or its employees.

“The level of corruption in the sheriff’s office rose to the level of official sheriff’s office policy,” the lawsuit states.

This is not the first time Lane has sued the Portage County Sheriff’s Office.

A federal judge had previously dismissed a civil rights lawsuit Lane filed against the sheriff’s office over a 2023 traffic stop. Sheriff’s deputies searched his vehicle because they said they smelled marijuana in the vehicle. Lane grows hemp for the production of legal CBD oil.