COVINGTON, Ky. — Felony rioting charges have been dropped against the two journalists arrested while covering a protest at the Roebling Bridge last week.
More than a dozen people appeared at the Kenton County Justice Center Wednesday afternoon, less than a week after a vigil for an ICE detainee turned into a demonstration on the Roebling Bridge. Video from police and bystanders shows the moment officers responded to the protest, which had blocked one section of the road.
In the videos, you can see officers telling protesters to move to the sidewalk or risk arrest. When police begin handcuffing some protesters, two Cincinnati CityBeat journalists can be seen recording and photographing the arrests from the road. Then, officers begin arresting the two journalists.
WATCH: We were there as the two journalists and other protesters appeared in court
Everyone arrested was charged with several misdemeanors, along with first-degree rioting — a felony.
In court, that felony charge was dismissed with prejudice for the two journalists, Madeline Fening and Lucas Griffith. They still face misdemeanor charges.
Multiple protesters also pleaded guilty to one of the misdemeanors, failure to disperse, with all other charges dismissed with prejudice and time served.
The judge ordered all, including the journalists, to stay away from the bridge.
When an attorney for the journalists motioned for the two to be allowed to use the bridge for their jobs, the judge denied them.
"Cross another bridge," he said. "Stay off the suspension bridge, that's an order of this court."
In a statement on social media after their arrests, CityBeat said it is "fully supportive" of the two journalists who were among the arrested, saying in part, "Their commitment to journalistic integrity and professionalism is emblematic of the press freedoms the First Amendment is designed to protect, and we fully anticipate a complete vindication of their rights."
The next hearings for the protesters and journalists are scheduled for Aug. 14.
Watch our previous reporting on the arrests here:
