Pima County prosecutors have dropped a criminal trespassing case against a KJZZ News reporter.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested Alisa Reznick in November while she was covering a demonstration against arms maker Raytheon.
Prosecutorial discretion is the reason given by the Pima County Attorney’s Office in a short motion to dismiss the trespassing case against Reznick.
Top prosecutor Laura Conover did not comment further.
Reznick said it's not normal for reporters to be arrested while doing their job.
“The reason for that is pretty clear. As members of the press, we are supposed to have access to document police activities. And that was what I was in the process of doing," Reznick said.
Dismissal of the case was made without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could revive it.
Michel Marizco, KJZZ's Fronteras Desk senior editor, released a prepared statement.
“I am pleased that Pima County Attorney Laura Conover chose not to pursue this case. That was the right path forward given that Alisa Reznick was clearly identified as a KJZZ News journalist gathering the news and in fact, had personally spoken with deputies just moments before.”
“Arresting journalists in the midst of doing their jobs is a dangerous practice that prevents the public from understanding what's happening in their community," Marizco said.
