Vegas journalist arrested at Trump rally gets released
LAS VEGAS » The journalist arrested at a Tax Day protest at President Donald Trump’s signature Las Vegas hotel has been released from jail.
KLAS Vice President and General Manager Lisa Howfield said photojournalist Neb Solomon was freed Saturday night, hours after he was arrested while covering the off-Strip protest.
Las Vegas police said Solomon was uncooperative and refused to provide his personal identification information at the scene. He was then booked into Clark County jail on two misdemeanors, including trespassing and obstructing an officer.
Solomon was recording the protest while on private property that belonged to the Fashion Show Mall, adjacent to the Trump International Hotel, police said. Mall security notified officers on scene that Solomon refused their request to stop filming there.
Howfield in a statement defended Solomon as an experienced and respected journalist.
“Neb was doing his job, carrying out an assignment given to him by his news managers, covering a news event of considerable interest to the community. We support Neb and the rights of all journalists to report from the scene of newsworthy events,” Howfield said.
There were no other arrests at the peaceful afternoon protest, which was attended by about 250 people, police said.
The police department said in a statement that it is “committed to transparency and creating and maintaining public trust. We work with our local media partners, including KLAS TV on a routine basis.”
Las Vegas was among 150 cities where protests were held to call on the president to release his tax returns.
Trump was the first major-party nominee in more than 40 years not to release his tax returns, saying it was because he was under a federal audit. He later said that voters don’t care.