Body-camera footage became a focal point of the trial. For months, prosecutors resisted attempts to share evidence of the incident, contending it wasn’t required in a simple misdemeanor case and it would be too costly. When a judge eventually ordered them otherwise, police revealed Wilson hadn’t saved the video from his body camera, contrary to department policy.
Iowa reporter acquitted in a trial that shocked press freedom advocates
10 March 2021
A jury acquitted an Iowa newspaper reporter on Wednesday of two misdemeanor charges, ending a rare trial of a U.S. journalist arrested while reporting on a protest. Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri was arrested and pepper-sprayed while covering a racial justice protest that descended into chaos on May 31. Des Moines police also arrested Sahouri’s boyfriend at the time, Spenser Robnett, who said he had accompanied her to help keep her safe. The pair faced fines and up to 30 days in jail for two charges: failure to disperse and interference with official acts. Both of them were acquitted ...
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