Baltimore Fox-affiliate WBFF is reportedly trying to revive its regular “Fugitive Files” segment in the wake of a controversy involving a high-profile suspect’s on-camera apology.
In April, WBFF drew the ire of the Baltimore Police Department after it taped an interview with a man wanted for a brutal St. Patrick’s Day assault and failed to notify the authorities about it. The man turned himself in following the interview, but police felt that the station’s failure to tell them about it was a breach of trust.
Now, according to the Baltimore Sun, WBFF is trying to get back in the good graces of the department in an effort to revive “Fugitive Files,” which it has been airing since 2007.
Speaking with the Sun, WBFF news director Mike Tomko said that the police department had “misrepresented” the events surrounding the station’s in-studio interview with the assault suspect. According to Tomko, the suspect’s attorney told the station that he had been in touch with prosecutors and that his client planned to surrender following the interview.
Before the controversy, “Fugitive Files” aired once a month, profiling two of Maryland’s most wanted fugitives. The incident that ended the police department’s partnership with the station on “Fugitive Files” was not a part of the segment.
Video of the interview is here.
[The Baltimore Sun]