The St. Joseph County Democratic Party (Indiana) has been making claims that the Republican candidate for sheriff, Rod Laureys, advocated for violence against Democrats. A claim Laurey’s campaign denies.

Here’s the accusation from the St Joeseph Dems:

Here are all the images they shared on that post:

Here’s the press release from the Laurey campaign:

Laureys’ Campaign Demands Retraction of Misleading Democratic Party Post: “Context Matters—This Was a Water Balloon, Not a Weapon.”
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, IN — The Rod Laureys for Sheriff campaign is appalled by the anti-Rod Laureys post on social media that was originally shared by the St. Joseph County Democratic Party, which grossly mischaracterized Mr. Laureys’ words and actions at a local community event.
Mr. Laureys, a decorated U.S. Marine veteran and law enforcement officer was at the Walkerton Fall Festival attending a water-balloon launching competition. Witnesses at the event have confirmed to the campaign that Mr. Laureys was holding a water-balloon launcher, not a gun. In addition, any comment he made about “shooting” was in reference to “shooting” water balloons for the purpose of the competition, not in any other context. “Out of context, a video without any audio makes people wonder,” said Rod Laureys, candidate for St. Joseph County Sheriff. “Context matters. I was joking around with friends and family, and I was demonstrating a water-balloon launcher – something any reasonable person could see with their own eyes was not political in any way. It’s beyond sad to see that local party operatives made a decision to turn this into something so malicious for political gain.”
Political Extremism, Not Public Service
The St. Joseph County Democratic Party took a rush-to-judgment approach instead of following a basic journalistic standard: confirm the facts before amplifying misleading claims in order to distract from public backlash against the Scott Ruszkowski campaign.
In July 2024, a story by Redress South Bend revealed that Chief Ruszkowski approved a proposal to hike fees for public access to police body-camera footage. Journalists and civil rights advocates believe the proposal would curtail transparency and make it harder for the public to see body camera footage (Source: Redress South Bend, “South Bend’s Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski Wants to Be Sheriff—And Wants to Limit Your Access to Body Camera Footage”).
Another July 2024 story by GovTech revealed that the South Bend Board of Public Safety, chaired by Ruszkowski, greenlit a revision to the city’s body camera policy in 2019. This news outlet’s reporting raises questions about whether the cameras were turned on as they should have been and how the footage is released to the public (Source: GovTech, “South Bend Approves Changes to Body Cam Policy”).
Yet another investigation by The Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism and 16 News Now in April 2024 revealed that police camera usage in South Bend was inconsistent. Ruszkowski’s department faced scrutiny and complaints for the way it managed and released camera footage after the fatal 2019 shooting of Eric Logan (Source: Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism, “Investigation reveals inconsistent use of police cameras in Indiana, Midwest”).
Local residents deserve to know more about Chief Ruszkowski’s leadership and his long record of opacity before they cast their vote on Election Day.
Mr. Laureys is a well-respected St. Joseph County public servant. He has a long record of honesty, professionalism, and transparency, and he is committed to serving the people of St. Joseph County as sheriff by:
Building and maintaining trust with the community through transparency and clear, fair policies;
Backing deputies with better training, resources, and equipment;
Ensuring that safety, fairness, and accountability are guiding principles in every department decision.
“The way the Democratic Party has rushed to judgment on this is outrageous,” said Laureys. “Our campaign is about rebuilding trust and running a clean campaign based on ideas and character, not throwing the kitchen sink of smear tactics at people. The voters of St. Joseph County are smart. They can tell the difference between a smear campaign and a sincere candidate who’s willing to lead with integrity and honesty.”Statement on Political Violence
The Laureys for Sheriff campaign unequivocally rejects all forms of political violence or threats of violence. We hold our Democratic opponent accountable for not only his role as chief of the South Bend Police Department, but for the words and actions of his party.
However, false accusations and reckless misrepresentations are also unacceptable and undermine public confidence in politics and democracy. The Democratic Party’s statement is patently false. It not only distorts the facts, but it also disregards the serious nature of the dialogue we as a community must have about safety, fairness, and public leadership.
The Laureys for Sheriff campaign is calling on the St. Joseph County Democratic Party to:
Immediately issue a public retraction and apology for its statement.
Issue a bipartisan statement reaffirming their commitment to civil discourse.
Encourage local media to confirm facts with witnesses before repeating false claims.About Rod Laureys
Rod Laureys is a former U.S. Marine and lifelong Republican running for St. Joseph County Sheriff. He’s a decorated veteran who is deeply committed to restoring trust and ensuring safety for all residents. His campaign is focused on three priorities: rebuilding trust, law enforcement transparency, and protecting the safety and dignity of every resident.

This is the same St. Joseph County Democratic Party that has refused to condemn their own members’ violent rhetoric, including one of their own candidates threatening my life, and covered up a major sex abuse scandal.