The Office of Special Prosecutions now has the case in which a state senator is accused of slapping an Alaska Dispatch News reporter in the state Capitol.
This follows the Juneau Police Department wrapping its investigation into what Lt. David Campbell characterized as a harassment case.
Chief Assistant Attorney General Andrew Peterson confirmed Tuesday that his office had received the case, but wouldn’t elaborate. Peterson said he cannot comment on ongoing cases. It’s up to his office to decide whether to prosecute.
Typical criminal cases go to local district attorneys for consideration.
Alaska Dispatch News reporter Nathaniel Herz said Sen. David Wilson slapped him in the Capitol on May 2, when he asked for the senator’s reaction to a story. Herz had an audio recording of the incident.
Wilson has declined to comment on the incident.
Under state law, state legislators are immune to misdemeanor arrest while the legislature is in session.
Jeremy Hsieh is the deputy managing editor of the KTOO newsroom in Juneau. He’s a podcast fiend who’s worked in journalism since high school as a reporter, editor and television producer. He ran Gavel Alaska for 360 North from 2011 to 2016, and is big on experimenting with novel tools and mediums (including the occasional animated gif) to tell stories and demystify the news. Jeremy’s an East Coast transplant who moved to Juneau in 2008.
