Criminal charges filed against NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert have been dropped by the Ohio Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Section. (TVNewser)
“While journalists could conceivably be subject to criminal charges for trespassing in some situations, this incident is not one of them. 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,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday. (ABC News)
On Feb. 8, Lambert had been waiting for the news conference about the status of the derailment, about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, to start at 3 p.m. But the event was delayed for two hours, clashing with his scheduled live shot for NewsNation, the cable channel where he works. (NYT)
Lambert was arrested after officials complained that he was talking live on camera during the press conference. Ohio National Guard leader John Harris accused Lambert of “aggressively lurching” at him during the confrontation. However, bodycam footage appeared to show Harris pushing Lambert in the chest first. (The Daily Beast)