Among the 17 people arrested during disturbances on Opening Day was a 34-year-old woman who tried to “bypass officers” during the parade near Findlay Market and, according to court documents, scratched officers as they were arresting her.
The woman, Iyonna Fairbanks of West End, is one of two people who face felony charges in connection with incidents that happened March 26 in Over-the-Rhine, Downtown and The Banks.
All the other cases reviewed by The Enquirer are misdemeanors.
Fairbanks’ case is still pending in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. She was held in jail for just over two weeks, records show, before posting a $10,000 bond on April 10. She is charged with two felony counts of assault, in addition to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges.
She faces up to 18 months in jail on each of the assault charges.
The second defendant facing felony charges also is accused of committing crimes during the Opening Day parade.
Court documents say Shekwon Walker, 29, of Colerain Township used his forearm to strike an officer in the back. He faces a single felony assault charge. He also is charged with several misdemeanors including disorderly conduct while intoxicated.
Walker was held in jail for two weeks. On April 9, he posted a $10,000 bond.
Both Fairbanks and Walker have pleaded not guilty.
The disorder and violence on Opening Day − which is how police described it − happened in multiple areas in and around Downtown.
In The Banks, where a large number of people massed on the plaza on Freedom Way, there were reports of fights as well as people using Tasers and pepper spray on others. Dozens of officers – some pushing police bicycles – lined up at both ends of the plaza, advanced into the crowd and eventually cleared the area.
The chaos in The Banks included a 48-year-old man “pointing a gun at people” outside a bar. The man was charged with disorderly conduct and using a gun while intoxicated. Although the charges are misdemeanors, a judge set bonds totaling $30,000.
The Enquirer does not typically name people charged with misdemeanors.
Others were charged in connection with fights then resisting arrest after officers intervened. One man, who was described by officials as homeless, threatened a police officer, saying he would “beat his (expletive).”
A 26-year-old Springdale man was charged with disorderly conduct after he punched “a civilian” in the face, according to court documents, as multiple officers looked on.
Court documents say a 33-year-old Pleasant Ridge woman yelled “expletives” and aggressively approached officers who were trying to arrest another person. She faces charges including resisting arrest and disorderly conduct while intoxicated.
A 22-year-old Mount Healthy man who was dancing in the street, obstructing traffic, ignored multiple commands by police officers to get out of the street. He is charged with failure to comply with orders of police.
As of April 14, only two cases had been resolved.
On April 14, a 32-year-old Dayton, Ohio man, who was accused of fighting near Elm and Findlay streets, was acquitted at a municipal court bench trial.
The man, who was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, was held in jail for about a week because he couldn’t afford the $30,000 in bonds that were initially set, his attorney, Correna Kuhl, said.
The judge assigned to the case eventually reduced the bonds to $1,000 on each count, which records show were posted on April 3 by the Bail Project, a California nonprofit that pays bonds for people who can’t afford them.
Also, a 28-year-old man pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct on March 27, the day after being arrested. The man, whose address is not listed in court documents, was sentenced to the one day he spent in jail.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What happened to people arrested in Opening Day disorder and violence?
Reporting by Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
