Most marchers arrested for a protest on the Roebling Bridge July 17 won't face felony charges for their actions. But four of the 15 still face the more serious accusations after a Wednesday pretrial hearing before Kenton County District Judge Kenneth L. Easterling.
Some protesters pleaded guilty to misdemeanor failure to disperse charges Wednesday in exchange for dismissal of the felony rioting charges. Those charges were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they can't be refiled. They were given credit for time served and will pay $169 in fines.
CityBeat reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith also had their felony charges dismissed but still face several misdemeanor charges including failure to disperse. They will have preliminary hearings Aug. 14.
The arrests of the journalists made national headlines. The Kentucky ACLU is representing Fening and Griffith.
"Our clients were doing their jobs and should have never been arrested in the first place," said William Sharp, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Kentucky in a statement. "A free press is critical to a functioning democracy, and those members of the press who, like our clients, merely cover a story enjoy the full protection of the U.S. and Kentucky constitutions to do so. We look forward to zealously defending them in court."
Those facing felony charges
Marcher Ameer Alkayali still faces felony rioting charges. An officer testified that he tried to intervene in another arrest.
"The conduct is different than the people who just got failure to disperse charges," Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders said.
Two of the other protesters still facing felonies, Logan Imber and Taylor Marshall, are accused of physically interfering in the arrest of protester Brandon Hill, who is also still accused of felony rioting.
Those charges revolve around accusations that Hill approached an officer with his fists balled in a "fighting stance" during the march. Police say he then grabbed at the officer's non-lethal projectile gun. A Covington Police officer testified Hill made motions reaching into a bag he had with him and thought he had a gun.
Video of Hill's arrest shows Covington Police Officer Zachary Stayton punching Hill numerous times during his arrest, including after he has been brought to the ground.
Hill's attorney asked for video evidence to be shown during Wednesday's hearing.
Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders objected, saying that's highly unusual in a preliminary hearing.
Judge Easterling denied the request. He said the hearing is simply to establish probable cause for the charges.
"I don't need a video," he said. "The officer's testimony is sufficient."
The marchers were protesting the ICE detention of Imam Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant and former chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Soliman was detained July 9 after his asylum status was revoked.
What sparked the protest
The protest started after a vigil at The Banks in Cincinnati organized by Ignite Peace, Ohio Poor People's Campaign, SURJ Cincinnati, and area faith leaders.
Following remarks by speakers advocating for Soliman, dozens marched in the south lane of the Roebling Bridge at about 8 p.m. The march was not sanctioned by the organizers of the vigil, marchers said.
Tension at the march was almost immediate. A man in a black sedan yelled and gestured at protesters at the roundabout before the bridge on the Cincinnati side. A black SUV drove slowly near march organizers in neon vests as the march was on the bridge. Organizers attempted to block the vehicle from reaching the bulk of the protesters, but it continued to move forward slowly. Eventually it passed the marchers.
The protest proceeded south in the southbound lane of the bridge. Covington Police and other Northern Kentucky law enforcement agencies blocked the bridge near its halfway point.
They told protesters to move from the road to pedestrian walkways on the sides of the bridge. Shortly after, Covington police began making arrests. As they did, they fired non-lethal projectiles called pepper balls and used Tasers.
Defense attorney Benjamin Pugh said three people arrested had to go to the hospital with injuries, including Hill.
Read more:
- Covington Police arrest more than a dozen people at anti-ICE march
- What we know about Imam Ayman Soliman's immigration case
- Covington Police discuss Thursday's arrests on the Roebling bridge
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