Charges were dropped against NewsNation reporter Evan Lambert, who was arrested last week while covering a press conference about a train accident in Ohio while governor Mike DeWine was speaking.
Lambert faced charges of resisting arrest, a second-degree misdemeanor, and criminal trespass, a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
Lambert will appear on NewsNation’s Dan Abrams Live at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
The arrest raised concerns about how the police deal with the news media.
“While journalists could conceivably be subject to criminal charges for trespassing in some situations, this incident is not one of them,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “The reporter was lawfully present at a press conference called by the governor of the state. His conduct was consistent with the purpose of the event and his role as a reporter.”
The incident came as Lambert was filing a live report in the back of the school room where the press conference was being held. Lambert finished the report and was asked to leave by authorities, who removed him from the event. He was released from jail later that evening.
On Twitter Lambert thanked Yost, DeWine, NewsNation and its parent company Nexstar Media Group for helping to get him released from jail and getting the charges dismissed. He also thanked others who have supported him since what he described as an “unjust and illegal arrest.”
“I’m still processing what was a traumatic event for me, in the context of a time where we are hyperaware of how frequently some police interactions with people of color can end in much worse circumstances,” he said. “That is not lost on me.” ■
I hope these thoughts come out coherently. @NewsNation @NewsNationComms @NXSTMediaGroup @fcasseseYO pic.twitter.com/BbS4WpHu4lFebruary 15, 2023
