12-Year-Old Journalist Questions Officer Who Threatened To Arrest Her
ARIZONA (CBS13) — A young reporter has learned the art of not backing down at the age of 12.
Hilde Lysiak says she was checking out a tip about a mountain lion sighting in Arizona when the Town Marshal stopped her and asked her for ID. She says he didn't want to hear about freedom of the press and threatened to have her arrested.
According to an article on her website about the encounter, Lysiak "identified herself as a member of the media, including name and phone number."
"You stopped me earlier and you said I could be thrown in juvie. what exactly am I doing that's illegal?" Lysiak said, questioning officer Joseph Patterson.
"I don't want to hear about any of that freedom of the press stuff," said Patterson.
Patterson said he was worried about her safety in the area of the Mountain Lion. He also falsely claimed it would be illegal for her to film him and publish the video online.
In her article about the incident, Lysiak cited the First Amendment, saying that it gives citizens the right to record officers in public while they are performing their duties.
Lysiak posted the exchange on Youtube and in her newspaper, the Orange Street News. Town officials actually disciplined Patterson for the encounter.
Lysiak first made a name for herself back in 2016 for being the first to report on a grisly murder in her hometown.
You can find more of Hilde's reporting on her website Orange Street News. She covers hard-hitting topics in her hometown including the border wall and drug dealing investigations.
