An Arizona police officer threatened a 12-year-old journalist with arresting him. She did not go back

Hilde Lysiak, a 12-year-old journalist, denounced on Feb. 18 that an Arizona police chief had threatened to arrest her because she had disobeyed an order of the police (Video: Youtube @ TheOrangeNews).

When police from a small town in Arizona stopped a 12-year-old journalist I was looking for a story Monday, I probably did not know what he was getting into.

Hilde Lysiak, the pre-teen journalist whose exploits inspired a series of academic books and a forthcoming TV show, became known in 2016 by becoming the first person to tell a macabre murder in her hometown, having responded to "Enemies" "They suggested that a nine-year-old girl is not haunting the area of ​​a crime." Since then, he has continued with "news" about bank robberies, alleged rapes and kidnappings. Other cruel crimes in Orange Street News, the newspaper she publishes in front of her parents' home in Selingrove, Pennsylvania.

"NOTE TO DISTRIBUTORS: OSN will not be intimidated," he wrote last month after receiving threats because he had posted SMS exchanges between an alleged drug dealer and a woman with whom he allegedly asked for more information. bad.

So, of course, she did not back down when Joseph Patterson, Marshal Patagonia city, Arizonahe would have threatened Monday to throw it a prison for minors Monday, when he falsely claimed that it was illegal for her to register and publish Internet video. Instead, she posted her meeting on YouTube and Orange Street News – which led the city officials to sanction Patterson, as indicated The Nogales International before anyone Wednesday.

Lysiak, whose father is also a journalist, did not say what took her away in rural south of Arizona. But she found a lot of stories to tell. Last week, he questioned residents about their views on President Trump's wall proposal, and briefly jumped over the barbed wire fence that separates the United States from Mexico. "Even a 12-year-old girl can easily get through it," he said.

She also explained in a scoop that on February 14, a resident had seen a cougar in the vicinity of Patagonia, a town of less than 1,000 inhabitants located at the foot of the Santa Rita Mountains. This obviously disturbed Patterson, who opposed his attempts to follow the story, reported L & # 39; International. "We are trying to keep people away from it," he told the newspaper on Tuesday when he was asked about the sighting.

In Orange Street News, Lysiall wrote that she got on her bike around 1:30 pm. Monday to follow a clue, when Patterson, whose position in this small town is the equivalent of police chiefHe stopped her and asked her to identify him. The 12-year-old girl gave her name and telephone number and indicated that she was a member of the means of communication. She said Patterson said, "I do not want to hear anything about press freedom," and added that I would stop it and throw it away. minor corrector.

Later, Lysiak pedaled past Patterson. This time she was recording.

"You already stopped me and you said you were going to throw me in a juvenile prison", you are invited to ask him in the video. What exactly do I do that is illegal? "

On the site of his white Chevrolet Silverado truck, Patterson started answering him, then stopped. Do you register me? he asked. "You can save me, okay, but I tell you that if you put my face on the Internet, it's against the law in Arizona."

In reality, there is no law of this type. The registration of a peace officer in a public place is protected by the First Amendmentas Lysiak pointed out when he posted the video on the internet a day later.

While Lysiak was sitting on her bike, Patterson told her that she had noticed that she was following him in the city when he had answered emergency calls. "Yes and what is illegal?" refuted on young journalist. The marshal told him that he did not want her to be hurt by the cougar that they had seen, and he accused him of disobeying his orders and lying to him when he said that he was going the house of a friend, which she debated.

Finally, he said "I'm going to get in touch with your parents" and started the car.

Early Friday morning, the Youtube video had been viewed over 22,000 timesand hundreds of people had left comments describing Lysiak as "heroes" and expressing outrage at Patterson's false claim that it was against the law she had registered.

"Clearly, he has no idea of ​​your constitutional rights to cover the news, "wrote one of his supporters, another fan wrote on the Facebook page of Orange Street News to say that Lysiak deserved an apology. Meanwhile, a popular account on Texas Youtube has reissued its audio-visual material and added Patterson's phone number, suggesting that anyone angry should call him. (Lysiak then asked that people refrain from publishing the Marshal's contact information on the Internet).

An article on the Patagonia City website on Wednesday said the officers had received "many comments" about Patterson's confrontation with Lysiak. "The question has been carefully examined and we took action that we think is appropriate to the situation, "the statement said. We do not publicly disclose staff actions, including disciplinary action, and we will not comment further. "

The bulletin also indicated that "relevant information" could be found in State of Arizona which prohibits people from publishing online personal information belonging to police officers, prosecutors, judges and other officials – to the extent that this can put them and their families at risk. He did not specify how the law was relevant or whether Lysiak had been accused of having violated it.

In an email to The Washington Post, Dan Barr, counsel for Arizona First Amendment Coalition, described the city's reference to this status as "meaningless". The law deals with the disclosure of information such as addresses and has "nothing to do with taking pictures of uniformed police officers doing their work in public," he said. he writes.

Barr added: "Hilde is a force of nature. You can only imagine the kind of stories you will have once you have a driver's license. "

"The Marshal of Patagonia City threatened to threaten a pre-teen journalist if she published her photo online, I hope that he did not threaten the others with non-existent crimes, the Marshal must now give explanations, "wrote Dan Barr in his report. from Twitter.

Patterson He could not be reached for a comment on Thursday afternoon. according to L & # 39; International This is not the first time he's telling citizens that they do not have the right to register in the performance of his official duties. In 2013, Peter Pototsky, who lives in the area, had demonstrated at a border patrol checkpoint when Patterson stopped. Pototsky told the newspaper that he had started recording his meeting with the Marshal, only to be told that it was illegal to do so and that he would be sued when he posted the video online. He then lodged a complaint with the administrator of the municipality.

Tuesday, Lysiak is said satisfied with the result of the confrontation. He also urged people not to resurrect Patterson.

"I'm glad the city acted, but a note, I do not think people should disseminate the Marshal's personal information On the Internet, "he wrote on Twitter. My approach is to protect our rights as First Amendment. Thank you