Overview

• Newport police released video from an Aug. 14 encounter outside the Clarke Cooke House showing Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Hogan Flanagan challenging officers as they responded to a trespass call.
• Flanagan was charged with willful trespass and issued a summons, while her companion, Veronica Hannan of Westport, Conn., was charged with willful trespass, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest and was arraigned.
• Restaurant staff told officers they wanted the pair removed and trespassed, and police warned the women to leave before detaining them.
• The footage shows Flanagan repeatedly asking officers to turn off body cameras and asserting “I’m an AG,” but officials say the statewide policy to cease recording applies only to victims and witnesses; Newport policy notes consent is not required to record.
• The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office has opened an internal review of Flanagan’s conduct and indicated it expects to conclude within days, declining further comment as a personnel matter.