The charge against WBRZ reporter Chris Nakamoto for “remaining after being forbidden” has been dropped.
Nakamoto was arrested and charged last month after going to the White Castle city hall and asking clerks for documents showing the mayor’s salary.
“I certainly can’t fathom their thought process of arresting a reporter who is working as a reporter in a public place. That’s one of a kind,” said a local attorney. “Chris never should have been arrested, he never should have been told to leave. He should have been accommodated.”
Security video showed Nakamoto patiently waiting for town officials before he was arrested in March. Workers said Nakamoto was causing a disturbance, and would not leave when asked. The town attorney told a Baton Rouge newspaper Nakamoto tried to go into restricted areas of the office. Security video shows that was not the case.