Man arrested in connection to shooting on Fairground Road in Portage County

A man was arrested Tuesday night after another man was shot earlier in the day near the Portage County Fairgrounds, according to Beacon Journal reporting partner News 5 Cleveland.

The Portage County SWAT Team and other deputies responded to a reported shooting Tuesday afternoon in the 4500 block of Fairground Road east of the fairgrounds in Randolph Township in southern Portage County.

According to News 5, around 4:30 p.m., a woman driving on Fairground Road near the fairgrounds came across a man down on the road and covered in blood, and she helped him into her car and called 911.

Neighbors said Portage County sheriff's deputies were looking for a local resident who may have been involved in the shooting. According to News 5 Cleveland, Portage County sheriff's deputies, the Ohio Highway Patrol and Portage County SWAT team members searched the surrounding woods for the suspect for hours and blocked off the area to look for the shooter.

Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski told News 5 Cleveland that SWAT team members found the man hiding in the woods and arrested him without incident. He added that there is no threat to anyone in the area and that the victim is recovering at the hospital and is conscious, according to News 5 Cleveland.

Charges haven't been announced, according to News 5 Cleveland.

A local 4-H group sent a message Tuesday night telling people to not go to the fairgrounds, which were evacuated due to the incident. The Portage County Swine Council's Facebook account said Tuesday's event was a carcass weigh-in for hogs, and it provided alternate drop-off locations.

A witness told the Beacon Journal his family could not get near the fairgrounds due to the lockdown, and they were turned around by Portage County sheriff's deputies. The 4-H event was scheduled for Tuesday evening in advance of next week's annual fair.