CINCINNATI — As Reds fans enjoyed Opening Day at the Great American Ballpark, many were unaware history had been made.

Former President Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury hours before the final pitch was thrown, and many who learned while leaving the ballpark were stunned by the sudden turn of events in a months-long investigation.

"I'm a Trump supporter," said John Booth.

Booth said he views Trump as innocent until proven guilty, and hoped the former president — now the only in U.S. history to face criminal charges — would beat the charges and take office again.

"The economy is where it's at right now because of the current administration," Booth said, "and I would say that the predecessor would be better."

Others saw the indictment as the tip of a very large legal iceberg as Trump also faces an investigation in Georgia related to pressuring officials to change the results of the 2020 election and another into his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

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"As a gay woman, this is exciting news," said Elizabeth Witte. "I think that with everything that's been happening in the world, we need something. He needs to be held accountable for not just this but all his actions."

Many landed in the middle ground in their opinions of Trump's new indictment.

Michaela Pearson said she had faith in the legal system.

"My initial thought is innocent until proven guilty," she said. "Of course, there's two sides to every story."

Jack Ferguson said he had faith in the spirit of the country.

"I love America, and I'm proud to be an American," he said. "So, whatever the case is, I just want everyone to be together and be united. That's what I care about. I could care less about the different political stuff."

WCPO reached out to both Republican and Democratic leadership in Hamilton County. Democratic Party Chair Gwen McFarlin said she had no comment until further details emerged about the charges facing Trump. Republican Chair Russell Mock had the same thing to say, but added he was disappointed with what was happening in New York.

"Weaponizing the judicial system for political purposes is dangerous at this point," he said.

Many local politicians refrained from making statements on the indictment. Senator J.D. Vance tweeted that it was "despicable" that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg thinks Donald Trump should "go to jail for a fake misdemeanor" while a man who described as a "lunatic" who "hurled racial slurs" at a family on a New York subway should "walk free."

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky also tweeted about Bragg. The former president said the indictment is "political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history."

The Associated Press reported the Manhattan District Attorney's office is coordinating the surrender and arraignment process with Trump lawyers. Exactly when those steps may take place is still not currently known.

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NEW YORK —

New York prosecutors have convened a special grand jury to consider evidence in a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's business dealings, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The development signals that the Manhattan district attorney’s office was moving toward seeking charges as a result of its two-year investigation, which included a lengthy legal battle to obtain Trump’s tax records.

The person familiar with the matter was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. The news was first reported by The Washington Post.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into a variety of matters such as hush-money payments paid to women on Trump’s behalf, property valuations and employee compensation.

Vance has been using an investigative grand jury through the course of his probe to issue subpoenas and obtain documents. That panel kept working while other grand juries and court activities were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The investigation includes scrutiny of Trump’s relationship with his lenders; a land donation he made to qualify for an income tax deduction; and tax write-offs his company claimed on millions of dollars in consulting fees it paid.

The new grand jury could eventually be asked to consider returning indictments. While working on that case, it also will be hearing other matters. The Post reported that the grand jury will meet three days a week for six months.

Vance’s office declined to comment. A message seeking comment was left with Trump’s lawyer.

The new grand jury is the latest sign of increasing momentum in the criminal investigation into the Republican ex-president and his company, the Trump Organization.

Attorney General Letitia James said last week that she assigned two lawyers to work with Vance’s office on the probe after her civil investigation into Trump evolved into a criminal matter.

James, also a Democrat, said her office also is continuing its civil investigation into Trump. She did not say what prompted her office to expand its investigation into a criminal probe.

In recent months, Vance hired former mafia prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to help run the investigation and has been interviewing witnesses, including Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Vance declined to run for reelection and will leave office at the end of the year, meaning the Trump case is likely to pass to his successor in some form. An election next month is all but certain to determine who that will be.

Trump issued a statement last week complaining that he’s being “unfairly attacked and abused by a corrupt political system.” He contends the investigations are a “witch hunt” and part of a Democratic plot to silence his voters and block him from running for president again.

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court buoyed Vance’s investigation by clearing the way for the prosecutor to enforce a subpoena on Trump’s accounting firm and obtain eight years of tax returns and related documents for the former president, the Trump Organization and other Trump entities.

The documents are protected by grand jury secrecy rules and are not expected to be made public.

Vance’s investigation has appeared to focus in recent weeks on Trump’s longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg. His former daughter-in-law, Jen Weisselberg, is cooperating with both inquiries.

She’s given investigators reams of tax records and other documents as they look into whether some Trump employees were given off-the-books compensation, such as apartments or school tuition.

Allen Weisselberg was subpoenaed in James’ civil investigation and testified twice last year. His lawyer declined to comment when asked Tuesday if he had been subpoenaed to testify before the new grand jury.

A message seeking comment was left with Jen Weisselberg’s lawyer.