Roebling Bridge ICE protester now faced with felony charge, arrested

More than a year after a Northern Kentucky protest at Roebling Street Bridge over federal immigration officials’ arrest of an Ohio cleric, a protester was arrested Monday morning on a felony charge. 

Benjamin Potash, a Louisville lawyer representing Taylor Marshall, told the Kentucky Lantern that his client’s arrest and detainment at the Kenton County Detention Center “is totally aberrant to me.” 

Marshall had initially been charged with a felony, but that was amended down to a misdemeanor charge of failure to disperse. 

Potash said he and his client accepted this charge, but then Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders “went behind my back and indicted the matter in front of a grand jury, and secretly indicted Taylor Marshall for felony riot.” 

Sanders said that “Kentucky law requires that the Grand Jury conduct its business in secret, so we did not go behind anyone’s back. We just follow the law. The indictment became public record as soon as it was returned by the Grand Jury, just like every other case.” 

He also said his office pursued the original felony charge because Marshall “failed to uphold her end of a negotiated plea agreement by pleading guilty to a misdemeanor. Whenever any defendant fails to live up to their agreement, we pursue the original charge. That’s all we are doing in this case.” 

Potash said his client did accept the misdemeanor charge but the judge did not accept it.

Marshall, 33, was among the roughly 100 people who protested at the bridge after United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman in the summer of 2025. Soliman was later released. 

ICE releases Ohio hospital chaplain. Case for detention unclear

Following the 15 arrests — journalists covering the protest were also arrested — several people filed lawsuits against the city of Covington and police. One lawsuit alleging excessive force including photos of Brandon Hill’s bruises after a police officer “repeatedly punched” him, LINKNKY previously reported. 

Marshall has a bond of $2,500 and was set to be arraigned Monday afternoon. Marshall is also charged with obstructing governmental operations, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, which are misdemeanor charges. 

Potash said it’s unusual for a person to be arrested for a protest this long after the event. 

“This is a year old,” he said. “This does appear to be political in nature, and I would consider Taylor to be a political prisoner.” 

Sanders disagreed, saying: “This case is about public safety, not politics.”  

This story may be updated.