A Cincinnati-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) supervisor is being held in Hamilton County Jail on $400,000 bond after allegedly strangling his partner.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations official Samuel Saxon, 47, was arrested on Dec. 5 after police say he attacked a woman he lives with in their Corryville apartment.
In court Monday, an officer testified that police have been called to the apartment roughly two dozen times in the last year and a half. Prosecutors also detailed a long relationship between Saxon and the victim that began when she was 18 years old and he was in his 40s.
Court records state Saxon’s arrest followed observations of bruising on the woman’s neck and accounts from witnesses who said he put her in a chokehold in the apartment’s hallway. Prosecutors noted the woman has reported serious injuries in past incidents linked to Saxon, including a broken nose in 2018 and a broken pelvis in April.
Saxon faces charges of felonious assault, strangulation and domestic violence. He pleaded not guilty Monday and was indicted Wednesday on all charges, including two additional charges of strangulation and assault. On Friday, a Hamilton County judge set his bond at $400,000, citing the severity of the alleged conduct. In court, Saxon’s attorney said he has spent more than two decades in his current role and was recently notified while in custody that he has been placed on suspension.
CityBeat has requested Saxon’s personnel file from the Department of Homeland Security. DHS says it conducts ongoing reviews of its workforce after initial background checks, though current and former officials have raised concerns to NBC News about lapses as hiring has accelerated during President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration crackdown. Saxon received a departmental service award in 2016 for long-term contributions to the agency, according to an agency news release.
Immigrant advocates in Ohio are also responding to Saxon’s arrest. Lynn Tramonte, executive director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, said there is “a real problem with gender-based violence by ICE agents” in the state.
“This is an agency that demonizes immigrants who have committed no crimes yet it fails to police its own ranks,” Tramonte said. “The hypocrisy is breathtaking, and the threat to public safety is clear.”
Saxon is due to appear in court again on Dec. 22.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 is free, available 24/7 and allows you to speak confidentially with trained advocates who can help you develop a plan to reach safety.