Hamilton County officials review response after neo‑Nazi group marched on Lincoln Heights overpass

Hamilton County commissioners and local leaders met Feb. 25 to review law‑enforcement and municipal responses after a neo‑Nazi group demonstrated on an overpass above Interstate 75 on Feb. 7, an event residents say targeted Lincoln Heights and left seniors and schoolchildren frightened.

The meeting opened with Board President Denise Treehouse saying, “We’re here because of an abhorrent behavior of a group of Nazis who came to our community to spew hate and to sow discord. They’re racist, they’re fear mongers, and they have no place here,” and asking county staff and partner agencies to explain what happened and why the community lacked advance notice.

The county administrator, Jeff Aluto, told commissioners the incident lasted roughly four hours from start to finish, with the group present on the Evendale overpass for about 42 minutes, and that the administration had gathered responses from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Village of Evendale and the Hamilton County Prosecutor to answer commissioners’ written questions.

Ruby Kinsey Mumphrey, mayor of Lincoln Heights, told the board residents felt excluded from early investigatory steps and from a sheriff’s press conference. “We feel that the village of Lincoln Heights should have been a part of that conversation,” she said, adding that residents were upset that seniors and children on nearby school buses were exposed to the demonstration and to fliers the group circulated.

Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey acknowledged the community’s trauma and said deputies prioritized de‑escalation to prevent injuries. “Officers are trained to deescalate. That is what our training encompasses first and foremost. How do we save lives? How do we protect people?” she said, adding that officers saw weapons and that some demonstrators carried open‑carry rifles and masks that deputies found intimidating.

Mayor of Evendale (name provided at the meeting) said the village had not issued a permit for the demonstration, released more than 15 hours of body‑worn camera footage to the prosecutor’s office and hired an independent national firm, CP21, to review Evendale police actions. The mayor said CP21’s review will include input from stakeholders and expected the firm’s work to be comprehensive.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said her office has formed an internal task force to review body camera footage, police reports and other evidence and to consider criminal, traffic and civil law implications. “These things are coming to us, but until we see all of the facts … we’re not going to let anything slip by the wayside,” Pillich said, and asked for time to complete a careful review.

Commissioners and community speakers pressed three recurring points: why the event was not detected in advance, whether officers could have gathered identifying information (names, license plates) once demonstrators left the overpass, and why Lincoln Heights leaders were not included earlier in briefings or in choices about independent reviewers. The county administrator and law enforcement said there was no credible advance intelligence that this group would appear at that location and that open‑carry laws and other legal constraints shaped immediate on‑scene choices.

Sheriff McGuffey and Evendale officials described overlapping but separate reviews: the sheriff said the office is conducting an internal policy and practice investigation; Evendale has engaged an external reviewer; and the prosecutor’s office is conducting an evidentiary review to determine whether charges or citations are warranted. McGuffey said both agencies had turned evidence, including video, over to the prosecutor for independent review.

Commissioners and community leaders requested short‑term steps while investigations proceed: a publicly accessible portal for residents to upload videos and statements; a community statement day or listening sessions where witnesses and victims can file accounts; and improved county and municipal alerting so Lincoln Heights and adjacent neighborhoods receive timely safety notices. Emergency management director Nick Crosley said the county can work with Lincoln Heights to restore a community alert (robo‑call) system and help set up an “Alert Lincoln Heights” notification list.

The meeting closed after routine business. Commissioners made a motion to adjourn; the roll call recorded votes in favor by the commissioners present and the meeting ended shortly afterward.

Next steps announced at the Feb. 25 session include the county posting the administration’s Q&A on its website, Evendale’s independent review by CP21, the sheriff’s internal policy review, and the prosecutor’s evidentiary review. Officials repeatedly said they will cooperate with each other and urged residents with video or other evidence to submit it for investigators to review.