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New Video Released Of Moments Leading Up To Arrest Of Reporter At Ohio Governor’s Press Conference

  Ohio State Highway Patrol released body camera footage Thursday night that provided more detail about the moments that led up to the   arr...

 Ohio State Highway Patrol released body camera footage Thursday night that provided more detail about the moments that led up to the arrest of NewsNation reporter Evan Lambert during a press conference this week.

Lambert, a TV journalist reporting on the fiery 50-car train derailment in Ohio, was arrested Wednesday for speaking during Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s press conference in East Palestine.

In the video, members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol along with Ohio National Guard Adjutant General John Harris approached Lambert as he was reporting live from a school gymnasium. “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 claimed in statement.

Multiple law enforcement officials told Lambert that he needed to leave the gym or he would face arrest.

“Do you know how quickly our lawyers can get me out?” Lambert responded. “I’m going to listen [to the briefing] because it’s my job. I’m trying to listen and he [Harris] escalated it with me. I’m doing my job that’s covered by the First Amendment.”

Lambert continued to resist calls for him to leave the gym and was subsequently taken into the hallway and arrested.

Lambert was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing, and was expected to stay in the Columbiana County Jail overnight. But he was soon released.

DeWine said Wednesday night that he didn’t ask for any reporters to be arrested and that it’s normal for reporters to speak on TV during his press conferences.

“Whoever was arrested had every right to be reporting and doing what they do every single day,” he said.

Journalists from around the country flocked to East Palestine, Ohio, over the weekend after officials warned that burning chemicals could cause a severe health hazard or dangerous explosion. Officials vowed to charge people with misconduct during an emergency if they refused to leave — with upgraded charges if children were at risk.

To mitigate the risk of explosion, officials decided to conduct a controlled release of chemicals. According to the Associated Press, the fires from that release are no longer burning, and residents were allowed to return to their homes Wednesday night.

Federal investigators said the crash was caused by an issue with a rail car axle.

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