The Ohio Attorney General's Office confirmed Friday that the Columbiana County prosecutor has referred over the case of a reporter who was arrested earlier this week at a news conference helmed by Gov. Mike DeWine where he spoke about East Palestine residents being able to return to their homes following a train derailment last week.
The case was specifically referred to the Ohio AG's Special Prosecution Section.
RELATED: Residents of East Palestine may return to their homes, authorities say
During the news conference, NewsNation reporter Evan Lambert was asked to stop a giving a live report because he was too loud, according to DeWine's Office. Officials said, "The volume of his reporting was perceived to be interfering with the event."
Lambert was later charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct and booked into Columbiana County Jail. He was released later that night.
RELATED: NewsNation reporter arrested during Gov. Mike DeWine's press conference in East Palestine
DeWine's Office released a statement this week stating that the governor did not see the event take place nor request that the reporter end his live shot.
The governor's office said DeWine "has always respected the media’s right to report live before, during, and after his press briefings, and the interruption to the reporter’s broadcast should not have taken place."
Body-camera footage released by the Ohio State Highway Patrol showed Maj. Gen. John Harris Jr., commander of the state's national guard, talking with a camera operator before a state trooper motioned to stop the live shot. Police said Lambert was talking loudly while on the air from the back of the gym where DeWine was speaking at the same time.
Harris started to walk away before he turned around, confronted and pointed a finger at Lambert and then briefly pushed the reporter with one hand in the chest, the body-camera footage showed. Lambert was also pointing and talking to Harris. A state trooper then stepped in between the two and moved away the commander, the footage showed.
Harris later told police the reporter was coming at him in an aggressive manner and he felt threatened.
“I instinctively put my hands on his chest to keep him from bumping into me, which I felt was inevitable if I had not protected myself,” Harris said in a statement made to investigators and provided by his office. He declined Thursday to comment beyond his statements to police.
Authorities said that after the confrontation, Lambert was told to leave the news conference but refused several times. Officers then pulled him toward the exit and told him he was under arrest.
Michael Corn, president of news for NewsNation, said Friday that the videos and body camera footage of the arrest speak for themselves.
“Evan acted professionally and at a minimum is owed an apology,” Corn said
RELATED: Ohio State Highway Patrol release body camera footage of NewsNation reporter being arrested
You can watch more about the arrest in the media player below:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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