Rhode Island Prosecutor Suspended After Arrest

Devon Flanagan Hogan, a Rhode Island Special Assistant Attorney General, was arrested for trespassing after refusing to leave the Clarke Cooke House restaurant in Newport. The arrest gained attention due to police body camera footage showing Flanagan arguing with officers and warning them they would "regret" the arrest. Attorney General Peter Neronha swiftly responded by placing Flanagan on six months of unpaid leave and issuing an apology to the Newport Police Department. The incident raises questions about conduct and accountability for law enforcement officials. The video shows the officers approaching someone from the restaurant and asking if “they want them trespassed.” The person clasps his hands and responds saying, “Trespass, yeah. Cuff ’em, please.” When the officer says Flanagan and people who were with her are trespassing, she says “We’re not trespassing, you haven’t notified us that we’re trespassing.” “What did I just say to you? You’re trespassing,” says the officer, who is not identified in the video. “I’m an AG. I’m an AG,” Flanagan later says. “Good for you,” the officer says. Eventually, Flanagan is put in a patrol vehicle and says, “Buddy, you’re gonna regret this. You’re gonna regret it.”

Willful tresspass.

Special Assistant Attorney General for Rhode Island.

A conviction for misdemeanor willful trespass is punishable by up to a year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

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