NewsNation reporter released from jail after arrest

A reporter from NewsNation, who was earlier arrested after being held by Ohio’s governor during a news conference about a train derailment, was released late Wednesday from jail in East Palestine, Ohio.

DeWine, the Governor of Ohio, maintained a calm demeanor while addressing the news conference as he received updates from law enforcement personnel. Evan Lambert, a correspondent for “NewsNation’s Rush Hour,” was providing a live report during this time.

Authorities requested that Lambert depart from the event once he concluded the live report, however, they subsequently attempted to forcibly expel him. Lambert is currently confronting charges of disorderly behavior and unlawful entry.

The Police stated that there is still no release as it is not yet ready to be released once it receives the network. NewsNation was expecting a statement from the East Palestine Police Department regarding Lambert’s arrest, which has not been received yet, but it is anticipated to be around 7 a.M. ET.

After Lambert was apprehended, DeWine stated that he did not personally authorize the detainment.

DeWine expressed, “It was not something that I sanctioned. That was incorrect. If someone was prevented from doing that, or informed that they could not do that, they possess every entitlement to do so,”. DeWine stated, “they desire to communicate with the individuals back on channel, regardless of which one, someone wishes to relay information out there and they want to communicate with the individuals back on channel, whenever I am conducting a press conference, it has consistently been my custom that”.

Lambert voiced, while being escorted into the rear of a police vehicle, that carrying out one’s duties in the United States in 2023 is challenging; nonetheless, we will persist in our efforts.

Meanwhile, while Lambert was set to appear on NewsNation, DeWine finally started addressing the audience at approximately 5 p.M., Albeit after experiencing a delay. The press briefing in East Palestine, Ohio, was initially planned for 3 p.M. ET.

Preston Swigart, a photographer who was with Lambert, said that Lambert was approached by the police, who asked him to stop talking at the news conference held in an elementary school gymnasium in East Palestine.

Swigart mentioned, “When he was told to stop talking, he didn’t obey the orders from their standpoint.” It wasn’t just a guess that they didn’t like the fact that it was even that way at the other end of the room, where the governor was speaking, there was a competing sound that carried and echoed loudly, just like in gymnasiums.

The reporter affiliate of NewsNation, Megan Lee, recounted the leading moments leading up to Lambert’s arrest, which took place in the morning in America.

Lee expressed, “I was truly shocked” — I honestly felt a great deal of shock when I realized that they were not even attempting to do their job properly. I vividly remember Evan saying something along the lines of “this is assault,” and it appears that there was some sort of physical altercation that took place.

Lee said other law enforcement officers came over after Evan said it was assault, and that’s when things started to become aggressive.

Lambert, a correspondent from Washington D.C., Was in Ohio covering a news conference where DeWine was giving an update on the evacuation orders that have been in place since a train derailed in a small town on the Pennsylvania border in East Palestine.

On Friday at 9 p.M., In East Palestine, approximately 50 cargo cars, which included 10 that contained dangerous substances, derailed. Norfolk Southern, the railway company, stated that the train was transporting goods from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, when the derailment occurred.

There have been injuries to the crew, residents, or first responders as a result of the train derailment. Additionally, some people have complained of experiencing headaches and smelling smoke or chlorine.

Authorities have issued a warning that if the vinyl chloride in five of the tanker cars that derailed were to catch fire, it would release hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the atmosphere. The derailment has raised fresh concerns regarding hazardous chemicals.

Lambert was released from the Columbiana County Detention Center shortly after 10 p.M. ET on Wednesday.

Lambert expressed, following his release, “It has been an exceedingly lengthy day. I am presently in good condition.” It is crucial in our nation that such incidents do not occur while carrying out one’s professional duties, and it is not anticipated for any journalist to face arrest.

Mike Viqueria, the chief of the Washington Bureau for NewsNation, described the arrest as a violation of the First Amendment that deeply infuriates him.

Viqueria expressed her frustration, stating, “As someone who works in the same field and as his coworker and superior, I couldn’t hear a single word from Evan’s mouth while he was calmly speaking on live television. … The situation that was happening, which they seem to have provoked, involving a conflict with the police — and the only thing I found disturbing was during the live broadcast of the press conference …”.

Lambert refused to reveal specific information about his apprehension, citing the pending accusations against him.

One of the officers, who is wearing a green T-shirt and jeans, forcefully pulls Lambert’s arm and puts handcuffs on him, as they try to remove him from the gymnasium. The incident was captured on video by WKBN-TV affiliate NewsNation, showing four people, including Lambert, getting into an argument with law enforcement officials, which ultimately led to his arrest.

A confrontation then unfolds at the gymnasium entrance, leading to Lambert being tackled and restrained on the ground. Subsequently, he is put in handcuffs and placed in the back of a vehicle belonging to the Columbia County sheriff’s department by the two arresting officers.

In a statement to NewsNation, DeWine’s office reiterated the governor’s position that the interruption to Lambert’s broadcast should not have taken place.

The governor always has the respected media’s right to report live before and during his press briefings, and after the conclusion of today’s briefing, he said, “The statement said.” We cannot provide a comment on what led to the reporter’s arrest because the governor did not witness what happened after the broadcast ended.

Devan Markham from NewsNation made a contribution to this report.