Charges against Kean Babcock, one of fifteen people arrested during a chaotic encounter with police on the Roebling Bridge last summer, were dropped on Wednesday, according to court documents, after he admitted the police had probable cause to arrest him.
The 15 arrested on the bridge were initially charged with felony rioting, but most of the rioting charges, including Babcock’s, were dropped at a hearing in July. The court upheld Babcock’s lower charges: unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, second degree disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway and obstructing an emergency responder.
His trial was originally scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15. Judge Kenneth Easterling dismissed the charges with prejudice, meaning the case can’t be refiled.
Although his charges have been dropped, by admitting the police had probable cause to arrest him, Babcock forfeits his right to sue Covington Police for wrongful arrest in civil court.
Four other demonstrators had their rioting charges upheld and their cases sent to a grand jury, which will determine if there is enough evidence for them to stand trial. Those cases are ongoing and subsequent court dates have not yet been set.