NEWPORT, R.I. — A prosecutor who told police that they would “regret” arresting her in a now-viral bodycam video captured outside of a New England restaurant has been placed on six-month, unpaid leave.
Rhode Island Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Hogan Flanagan was taken into custody for trespassing after she reportedly refused to leave the Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf in Newport, Rhode Island, on Aug. 14, according to the Newport Police Department.
In a statement shared with Boston 25 News, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Monday that he hopes Flanagan uses her time on leave to “reflect on the seriousness of her conduct.”
“On August 14, Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan mistreated the Newport Police Department and embarrassed herself, the Office, and frankly, me. We hold our attorneys to the highest personal and professional standards, and Ms. Flanagan plainly did not meet those standards here,” Neronha said. “Today, I met with Ms. Flanagan and placed her on unpaid leave for six months. I sincerely hope she takes this time to reflect on the seriousness of her conduct and makes corrective changes in her life.”
Flanagan repeatedly told the arresting officer, “I want you to turn your body cam off,” during the incident, video shared by police showed.
The officer can then be heard asking a man at the eatery’s host station, “Do you want them trespassed?” The man responds, “Anything we can do.”
The officer then informed Flanagan and another woman that they were trespassing and asked them to leave the area.
After some pushback, the officer said, “Let’s go,” and placed Flanagan in handcuffs.
As Flanagan was escorted to a nearby police cruiser, she can be heard in the video yelling, “I’m an AG! I’m an AG!”
“You’re going to regret this. You’re going to regret it, ” Flanagan warned the officer as she was loaded into the cruiser.
The police department stated that the officer did not comply with Flanagan’s request to turn off the body camera, as she was a suspect in the case, not a victim.
Flanagan has worked for the Rhode Island AG’s office for seven years, officials said.
“She has a long road ahead of her, but I believe that in the long run, our worst moments can inspire us to become better people,” Neronha added.
Neronha spoke with the officers involved on Monday and apologized on behalf of his office.
Flanagan has pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges.
The incident remains under investigation.
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