Felony charges dropped against 2 Ohio journalists

Prosecutors dropped felony charges Wednesday against two journalists arrested at a protest that originated in Cincinnati over the detention of an Egyptian man by immigration authorities. The District Court judge agreed to dismiss with prejudice the felony rioting charges against reporter Madeline Fening and photography intern Lucas Griffith of Citybeat Cincinnati. The two were among at least 13 people arrested Thursday in a demonstration that blocked the Roebling Bridge, which carries traffic over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Kentucky. Police in Covington, Kentucky, said those who were arrested refused to disperse and threatened officers. The journalists and others also face misdemeanor charges that include failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. The demonstration was staged in support of Ayman Soliman, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office near Cincinnati. Protesters met in downtown Cincinnati and then walked across the bridge carrying a banner that read, "Build Bridges Not Walls." The ACLU of Kentucky, which represented the journalists, said they should never have been arrested. "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," staff attorney William Sharp said in a statement. "We look forward to zealously defending them in court."