Rhode Island prosecutor Devon Flanagan, 34, was placed on six months of unpaid leave after body camera video showed her telling Newport officers they would “regret” arresting her. She later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
A Rhode Island prosecutor who was recorded on police body camera telling Newport officers they would “regret” arresting her has been placed on six months of unpaid leave, Attorney General Peter Neronha announced this week. Two days after the suspension was made public, she pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge.
Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan, 34, also known as Devon Flanagan Hogan, has worked in the attorney general’s office for about seven years and was assigned to the Criminal Division’s Appellate Unit at the time of her arrest, according to NBC News and The Associated Press.
The arrest in Newport
The arrest took place on the night of Aug. 14 outside the Clarke Cooke House, a restaurant on the Newport waterfront. Police were called about an “unwanted party,” according to Boston.com. Flanagan and a friend had been asked to leave the restaurant, and police said they were arrested on trespassing charges after refusing.
Body camera footage released after the incident shows Flanagan repeatedly asking an officer to turn off his camera and saying “I’m an AG” several times, The Associated Press reported. In the video, a restaurant representative can be heard telling officers, “Trespass, yeah. Cuff ’em, please.” When an officer told her, “You’re trespassing,” Flanagan responded that they had not been notified.
After she was placed in a patrol vehicle, Flanagan told the officer, “Buddy, you’re gonna regret this. You’re gonna regret it.” The footage spread widely online in the days that followed.
The attorney general’s decision
Neronha informed Flanagan of the six-month unpaid suspension in a meeting on Monday, Aug. 25, and his office announced it the next day.
“On Aug. 14, Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan mistreated the Newport Police Department and embarrassed herself, the Office, and frankly me,” Neronha said in his statement. He said she “plainly did not meet those standards” expected of members of his office.
“I sincerely hope she takes this time to reflect on the seriousness of her conduct and makes corrective changes in her life,” Neronha said, adding that “our worst moments can inspire us to become better people.”
A spokesperson for the attorney general, Tim Rondeau, said Neronha met with the Newport officers involved on Monday and apologized to them. Flanagan also sent letters of apology to the officers, according to the AP.
In a radio interview with WPRO on Aug. 19, before the suspension was announced, Neronha said Flanagan regretted the incident. “She’s really remorseful, and she takes responsibility,” he said.
No contest plea in court
At her arraignment on Wednesday, Aug. 27, Flanagan entered a plea of nolo contendere, or no contest, to a misdemeanor charge of willful trespass, according to court records cited by Boston.com and The Boston Globe. A no contest plea means a defendant does not contest the charge without formally admitting guilt.
She received a six-month filing, an arrangement under Rhode Island law in which a case can be dismissed if the defendant stays out of trouble during that period. She was also ordered not to return to the Clarke Cooke House.
The friend who was arrested with her, also 34, faced charges of disorderly conduct, willful trespass and resisting arrest. She pleaded no contest to resisting arrest, the other two counts were dismissed, and she also received a six-month filing and a no-contact order for the restaurant. Her attorney, John Grasso, said, “Today was Veronica’s first opportunity to take responsibility for her conduct, and she did just that.” He added that she “apologizes to the members of the Newport Police Department for her reaction to being taken into custody.”
Flanagan’s attorney, Kevin Hagan, declined to comment.
What happens next
In Rhode Island, a conviction for misdemeanor willful trespass can carry up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Because Flanagan’s case was filed rather than resulting in a conviction, it may be dismissed if she meets the court’s conditions over the next six months.
The attorney general’s office has not said what Flanagan’s role will be when her unpaid leave ends.
Source: NBC News
