Mount Vernon officials say they were not notified ahead of federal operation at Pancho’s Tacos; outline response

Safety Service Director Sacks told council that the City of Mount Vernon and its law department learned informally about a federal operation at Pancho’s Tacos on Oct. 9 and had not been notified in advance.

"The city and its agencies learned of the operation informally at 12:30PM on Thursday, October 9," Sacks said. He described that lack of prior notice as creating "a significant information vacuum" that led city leaders to activate a crisis communications protocol and post initial press releases about the event.

Officials said they contacted members of Congress and state offices — including Congressman Troy Balderson, State Senators Bernie Moreno and John Husted, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety — and later confirmed the operation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and is part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Sacks said the city used a dedicated media email and compiled a distribution list to issue corrections and updates as new information became available.

Sacks said the Mount Vernon Police Department remained on scene to maintain public safety and that the city’s concern was not over HSI jurisdiction but over interagency communication. "When an operation of this nature occurs in our city without our knowledge, it puts our residents and our own law enforcement at a disadvantage," he said.

The city reported two peaceful protests downtown on Oct. 11 and said it had coordinated with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to improve interagency coordination for future operations that may involve state or federal agencies.

Ending: The safety service director characterized the city’s actions as focused on public information and coordination; he said officials will continue to pursue better interagency protocols and thanked public-safety staff for their response.