Of those two not held for ICE, one had their case dismissed and the other pleaded guilty to a lesser traffic charge, according to court records. Twenty-six remain in the Butler County Jail on Friday, all on ICE holds and a couple with state charges out of Fairfield.
The operation was in response to years of problems at Sabor Peruano, police said. In 2021, Fairfield police met with the ownership to discuss the problems and asked them to get their patrons under control. Fairfield Police Chief Steve Maynard said they were causing fighting, driving while intoxicated and causing property damage, among other issues.
That meeting apparently did not help as in 2022, there was a stabbing, and in the past year, there were 42 calls for service to the business, which included two non-fatal shootings — one in June and July — in the past 12 months.
All this culminated in what Maynard called a targeted operation on Aug. 16 due to the criminal activity and complaints from neighbors and business owners.
Though the operation was viewed by some as an immigration-related operation, Maynard said that was not the case. It was about “sending a clear message to the ownership we are not going to tolerate that type of activity.”
“Our focus was on Sabor,” the chief said. “This is not about immigration for the Fairfield Police Department. This is about curbing the violence and criminal activity that was taking place at Sabor.”
The Fairfield Police Department asked the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and ICE for their assistance because of difficulties in investigating the two shootings due to the immigration statuses of those involved. He said the majority of people involved were in the country illegally and were difficult to identify.
“We had to reach out to (ICE) and request their assistance to identify these people, get a history workup on who they are,” Maynard said. “We knew going into this we were going to run into the same type of people that were likely not easily identified and we were going to need their assistance.”
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has touted the number of people arrested or detained in the Aug. 16 operation who were in the country illegally.
“I’ve been saying this for 20 years,” said Jones about the country’s population of immigrants here illegally. “And I was correct. I keep my ear to the ground. People have had all they want. Most of the country want something done with immigration; it affects us all.”
The sheriff said his jail was prepared ahead of the Aug. 16 operation for upwards of 100 people to be held in the county jail.
“Fairfield had the issue, they got a hold of ICE, they got a hold of us, and it was a team effort,” said Jones, adding ICE agents made the arrests, outside of the state charges levied by Fairfield police.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
June 8 shooting
A 31-year-old immigrant in the country illegally, accused of firing a weapon at a car full of people on June 8, is likely to remain in jail regardless of the bond set on Thursday afternoon.
Jose Ciprian Ramirez-Hernandez, of Cincinnati, was directly indicted on six charges of felonious assault on Monday, and arraigned on Thursday.
Butler County Common Pleas Judge Daniel Haughey set a cash or surety bond at $250,000. However, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kraig Chadrick said since Ramierz-Hernandez was detained by the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “they have no intention of releasing him until this case is completed.”
Ramierz-Hernandez retained area attorney Scott Croswell, but during his first appearance in court, attorney Jesse Knowlden stood in for the Cincinnati attorney and entered a not guilty plea to the second-degree felonies.
Fairfield police claim Ramierz-Hernandez fired a weapon into a car full of people at Sabor Peruano. Police officers responded to the shooting report and found a male victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm. That victim was transported to a local hospital and later released.
Knowlden told the judge the action was in self-defense when discussing bond. He also said Ramirez-Hernandez is not a flight risk, having been in the country since he was 12 years old, owning a home and a roofing business, and having a wife with four children.
Chadrick said his action — discharging a firearm and striking an individual — “creates a significant risk to public safety.”
If Ramierz-Hernandez posts the bond, he’s required to have a GPS monitor and have no contact with the alleged victims. He is scheduled to reappear in court at 1 p.m. on Sept. 9 or a plea or trial setting hearing.
Ramirez-Hernandez had been in the Butler County Jail since Aug. 22 detained on an ICE holder. He was not one of those 39 arrested or detained on Aug. 16.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
What’s next
Maynard said the investigation will continue, including looking for the person or persons involved in the July 27 shooting, which resulted in a person shot who fled to a Speedway gas station across Dixie Highway. That person was transported to Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital and then transported by medical helicopter to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Fairfield police confirmed the shooting that resulted in that person’s injury is directly tied to Sabor Peruano.
The Fairfield Police Department is pursuing a revocation of Sabor’s liquor license. The police chief said they are in communication with the state of Ohio.
“We are handling this (investigation) in the same manner that we’ve handled every other club or bar in the city that we’ve had violence and problems with,” Maynard said. “We’ve taken a strong stance against these bars where we continually have problems and have had a lot of crime. It’s not something we’re going to tolerate in the city of Fairfield.”
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