Prosecutors on Wednesday dropped charges against a West Virginia journalist who was arrested after trying to ask Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price questions when Price visited the state’s Capitol in May.
Public News Service (PNS) on Wednesday announced that the Kanawha County prosecuting attorney dropped a misdemeanor charge against reporter Dan Heyman of willful disruption of governmental processes.
“The State has determined that Dan Heyman’s conduct was not unlawful and did not violate the law with which he was charged,” PNS said in a statement. “Heyman was facing six months of jail time after moving through a crowd to ask the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price a question.”
Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and her Secret Service protection detail accompanied Price on his trip to West Virginia. Police said in a criminal complaint that Heyman tried to breach Secret Service security and had to be removed.
Price showed little concern about the arrest and said it was not his “decision to make.” He commended police for “doing what they thought was appropriate.”
“That gentleman was not in a press conference,” he added of Heyman.
Heyman in a statement said he was “very relieved” to have the charges dropped and said he did not want his arrest “to have a chilling effect on other reporters.”
“I am shocked that I was arrested in the first place but I’m glad I can put this behind me,” he said. “The intense response to my arrest gives me confidence that people will defend the free press, because they believe in it.”
“I am shocked that I was arrested in the first place…"
"We don’t go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers." — Helen Thomas
Assault with a deadly question?
That reporter’s lucky to be alive after perpetrating such a vicious attack.
Where will all this journalistic violence end?
Two arrests centering around Cabinet Secretaries. The protestor who laughed during Sessions confirmation hearings, and this journalist for asking questions of Price.
Am I forgetting all those arrests surrounding previous cabinet secretaries? Or is this the most entitled bunch: the crooked crony cabinet?
I hope he brings a civil rights lawsuit against the PD, prosecutor and anyone else involved in the charging process.