CINCINNATI — A judge dismissed all charges against a man accused of participating in a downtown Cincinnati brawl last summer.
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Judge Donte Johnson dropped the misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge against Alex Tchervinski at the Hamilton County Courthouse after city witnesses failed to appear for the trial, our news partners at WCPO reported.
The charge stems from a fight that occurred on July 26, 2025, near the intersection of 4th and Elm streets.
Prosecutors requested the dismissal because their witnesses failed to respond to subpoenas for the second time, preventing the city from proceeding with the trial.
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Senior Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Bishop informed the court that the city could not move forward with its case.
“We cannot go forward with the prosecution without those witnesses being present,” Bishop said.
While Cincinnati police officers, including interim chief Adam Hennie, were in attendance for the trial, the two civilian witnesses failed to appear.
This marked the second consecutive time witnesses were absent.
The trial was originally scheduled for October 2025, then rescheduled to Jan. 12 and then to Tuesday.
Douglas Brannon, the defense attorney representing Tchervinski, requested the dismissal after stating his team had prepared for the trial on three separate occasions.
“This matter has ... great weight on Mr. Tchervinski, my client,” Brannon said in court. “We are here and prepared and ready to go forward today. We’ve prepared for this trial for three separate occasions and at this point, I think if the state has failed to proceed at this point, we ask for the charges to be dismissed.”
Following the decision, a city spokesperson confirmed the case was dismissed.
The July 2025 brawl resulted in eight total arrests.
The first seven people charged were Black, which led to criticism from community leaders who called for police to charge the white man they believed incited the fight.
State Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) spoke about the community’s expectations during a meeting last summer.
“The Black community of this city demands to be respected, and until justice is fully served, this city cannot and will not move forward,” Thomas said.
Brannon stated that Tchervinski and his friends were celebrating a birthday at a bar on Fourth Street before the fight.
He maintained that his client acted in self-defense and that nothing happened inside the bar that led to the conflict outside. '
“We’re not aware of anything that led up to the assault that happened for my client. It appears to be a racially motivated assault,” Brannon said.
The legal case had been largely unavailable to the public because the City Solicitor’s Office filed a motion to keep it under seal.
Officials cited Marsy’s Law, which is designed to protect the privacy and rights of crime victims.
Brannon questioned the city’s decision to conceal the records.
“I can’t explain why the city brings a charge and then wants to try and conceal it at the same time,” Brannon said. “I think that this is something that needs to be aired to the public.”
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