Felony Charges Dropped for Most Roebling Bridge Protesters in Pretrial Hearing

A significant proportion of the demonstrators apprehended during a protest on Roebling Bridge on July 17th are no longer contending with severe charges. However, four of the fifteen marchers remain subjected to graver allegations, following a pretrial hearing presided over by Kenton County District Judge Kenneth L. Easterling.

During Wednesday’s hearing, some protesters accepted guilt for the less serious misdemeanour of failing to disperse, in return for a cessation of the more serious felony rioting charges. A condition of dismissal ‘with prejudice’ was accorded to these allegations, implying that re-filing these charges is not an option.

In a favourable compensation for their time served, those protesters who had their felony charges dismissed are obliged to pay $169 in fines. Nevertheless, marcher Ameer Alkayali remains accused of felony rioting, owing to his attempt to meddle with another arrest, as an officer’s testimonial confirmed.

The inconsistencies in the actions of the protesters have been highlighted. Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders observed that Alkayali’s behaviour differed markedly from those merely charged with the failure to disperse.

Logan Imber and Taylor Marshall are among the other protestors who, along with Alkayali, are still entangled in felony charges. Their charges stem from allegations that they intervened directly in the arrest of another protester, Brandon Hill, who himself stands accused of felony rioting.

The charges against Hill are grounded in allegations of his confrontational demeanor during the protest. It has been reported that he approached an officer in a hostile manner, with clenched fists suggestive of a combat stance. Subsequent claims by the police suggest Hill attempted to seize the officer’s non-lethal projectile weapon.

From the account provided by a Covington Police officer, further controversy was added to Hill’s case. The officer has testified that, upon observing Hill’s repeated attempts to reach into a bag he carried with him, he was led to suspect the presence of a firearm.

During the arrest of Hill, a recorded video shows Covington Police Officer Zachary Stayton delivering multiple punches to Hill. This physical subordination continued even after Hill had been brought down to the ground. This footage sparked Hill’s attorney’s request for the video evidence to be included in Wednesday’s hearing.

However, the proposal to present video evidence during the hearing clashed with Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders’s opposition. Sanders argued against this procedure, deeming it highly unconventional during a preliminary hearing.

Judge Easterling sided with Sanders, denying the request for showcasing the video during the hearing. He underscored that the hearing’s main purpose was to establish whether or not probable cause exists for the charges laid against the protestors.

Easterling elaborated further, stating that the testimony of the police officer would suffice as sufficient evidence, obviating the need for the video. In essence, the video evidence was deemed nonessential in establishing the probable cause for charges.

The Roebling Bridge protest was primarily spurred by the detainment of Imam Ayman Soliman by ICE. Soliman, of Egyptian descent and formerly serving as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, was apprehended on July 9, following a revocation of his asylum status.

Soliman’s detention ignited the protest, which succeeded a vigil held at The Banks in Cincinnati. The vigil was organized by various affiliations including Ignite Peace, Ohio Poor People’s Campaign, SURJ Cincinnati, and area faith leaders, aiming to rally behind Soliman.

The protest was initiated by a march participated by dozens of supporters who headed towards the south lane of the Roebling Bridge around 8 p.m. This march, however, did not have the express approval of the vigil’s organizers, according to the marchers themselves.

The protest flared up tensions almost immediately. Notably, at the roundabout near the bridge’s Cincinnati side, marchers encountered a man in a black sedan who expressed his dissatisfaction towards them through loud shouts and gestures.

Progressing onto the bridge, the marchers attracted the attention of a black SUV that slowly crept up to the protest’s organizers. Attempts to separate the vehicle from the main body of protesters proved fruitless as the SUV continued its slow progression. The protest marched onward in the southern lane of the bridge, met halfway by Covington Police and other Northern Kentucky law enforcement agencies that moved to block protester progress.