Separating Fact from Fiction in the July 29th City Hall Incident

by Logan Andrew | FreeWire Magazine — Your News, Your Voice

On August 21, Bucyrus City Council President Kurt Fankhauser uploaded a video to his Bucyrus Exposed YouTube channel titled:
“Did Jon Van Hesteren aka ‘Jonsky Yatyas’ try to set Carolyn Shireman up for a probation violation?”

In the video, Fankhauser accused audience member Jon Van Hesteren of deliberately provoking former Councilwoman Carolyn Shireman during the July 29 council meeting in order to trigger a probation violation. He also suggested that others in the room — including Adam Frizzell, Jeremy Bores, and this reporter — were part of a coordinated setup.

We are embedding Fankhauser’s video here in full so readers can review his claims in their entirety:

Editor’s Note: This video was originally published on August 21, 2025, to Kurt Fankhauser’s Bucyrus Exposed YouTube channel under the title “Did Jon Van Hesteren aka ‘Jonsky Yatyas’ try to set Carolyn Shireman up for a probation violation?” It was later deleted along with Fankhauser’s Facebook account. FreeWire obtained a copy before it was removed and is republishing it here in full to ensure the public has access to the original claims.

Kurt’s Version

In his narration, Fankhauser portrays Van Hesteren as an “outside agitator” who traveled from Mansfield to disrupt Bucyrus council business. He says Van Hesteren “plopped himself down” beside Shireman during executive session and began agitating her, forcing Fankhauser to intervene. He presents himself and Shireman as being harassed while casting Van Hesteren, Frizzell, and others as a group of schemers. He goes so far as to suggest that Frizzell running to police dispatch was part of a deliberate plan to get Shireman in trouble with her probation officer.

Fankhauser and his allies also attempt to tie Van Hesteren to an unrelated domestic violence case, claiming City Law Director Brandon Gobrecht had improperly assisted in the defense because Gobrecht also represented Van Hesteren in his divorce. This claim is not supported by fact; Van Hesteren was not the defendant in that case, and Gobrecht’s role was limited to addressing procedural questions.

What the Footage Shows

The City Hall security footage tells a very different story. We obtained the full video from that night and condensed it by fast-forwarding through uneventful stretches and zooming in on the key moments.

The recording shows that before the confrontation even began, Fankhauser and his ally Elmer Copp were upstairs together. As Copp made his way downstairs, Fankhauser was already filming, strongly suggesting that the encounter was planned rather than spontaneous. When Copp reached the lobby, he confronted the group of observers — a moment that later resurfaced in another of Fankhauser’s Bucyrus Exposed uploads, this one taking aim at Adam Frizzell. In both cases, the footage was framed to portray opponents as agitators, even though the uncut video shows Copp initiating the exchange.

When Van Hesteren returned to City Hall after stepping outside, he walked upstairs and took a seat in the corner beneath the security camera, waiting for the conclusion of executive session so he can reenter council chambers. He remained seated throughout. What followed was not Van Hesteren harassing others, as Fankhauser claimed, but the opposite. Both Fankhauser and Shireman approached Van Hesteren, with Shireman at one point pointing her finger at him repeatedly. The footage makes clear that Van Hesteren never got up or invaded anyone’s personal space; the confrontation was initiated by those accusing him of being the aggressor.

The Bigger Picture

The disparity between Fankhauser’s version of events and the security footage underscores how selective framing can mislead the public. By portraying Van Hesteren as an outsider intent on disruption, and by linking him falsely to a domestic violence case, Fankhauser attempted to discredit a critic and undermine the city’s law director in the process.

Just as telling is the pattern that emerges. Footage of Copp confronting observers downstairs appeared in an earlier Bucyrus Exposed production aimed at Adam Frizzell. In that video, the same exchange was used to portray a political opponent as disruptive, even though the uncut footage showed Copp initiating it. The reuse of partial clips to fit shifting accusations points to a broader strategy of framing critics while omitting context.

The City Hall security cameras provide a more straightforward account. They show who actually escalated the situation and who remained seated.

Conclusion

FreeWire is publishing both videos — Fankhauser’s YouTube post in full, and the edited City Hall footage — so readers can see and judge for themselves. The evidence makes one thing clear: the narrative told by Kurt Fankhauser does not match what actually happened inside City Hall.