Alexa Schwerha on February 15, 2023
EAST PALESTINE, OH – The state Attorney General confirmed Wednesday that a NewsNation reporter who was arrested in eastern Ohio while covering a train derailment that triggered a large chemical plume over the town had his charges dropped.
As part of a press conference during which Republican Gov. Mike DeWine gave a live report during a press conference on Feb. 8, reporter Evan Lambert was arrested during the press conference. Before hazardous chemicals were released from the trains, nearly 2,000 residents were evacuated because of the train derailment. According to Republican Attorney General Dave Yost, videos of the incident did not provide sufficient evidence to warrant charges of criminal trespass or disorderly conduct.
“While journalists could conceivably be subject to criminal charges for trespassing in some situations, this incident is not one of them,” Yost said, according to Wednesday’s press release. “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.”
#BREAKING: @EvanLambertTV, the NewsNation reporter arrested during an Ohio news conference last week, is no longer facing charges.
Watch #NewsNationLive: https://t.co/DhYRGUFsyt pic.twitter.com/JFQOpxd0dM
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) February 15, 2023
East Palestine Police Department (ELPD) were following orders from the National Guard, according to the press release. Yost added that tensions were high in the days following the Feb. 3 derailment.
“Regardless of the intent, arresting a journalist reporting at a press conference is a serious matter,” Yost said in the statement. “Ohio protects a free press under its constitution, and state officials should remember to exercise a heightened level of restraint in using arrest powers.”
Video of Lambert’s arrest circulated soon after the incident, and body camera footage shows officials asking Lambert to leave the auditorium for being too loud during his report. Lambert initially refused and then two officials led him out into the hallway where he was pushed to the ground and handcuffed, according to the video.
DeWine did not agree with the decision to end Lambert’s report and is “pleased by today’s developments,” his office told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Lambert was released from jail hours after the arrest, according to NewsNation.
Lambert and the EPLD did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Yost’s office declined to comment beyond the press release.
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