Veronica Coit
Asheville journalists convicted of trespassing again, this time by jury
Two Asheville reporters were convicted of trespassing in a jury trial in Buncombe County last week, a conviction scorned by press freedom advocates across the U.S. “The two journalists should never have been on trial. They were performing a public service and recording police activity,” Katherine Jacobsen, U.S. and Canada program Coordinator for the Committee […]
Lawyer asks court to delay, dismiss Asheville journalists’ case as trial nears
An attorney for two journalists convicted of trespassing while reporting in a public park after-hours has asked a Superior Court judge to dismiss the case, or at least delay their looming appeal trial, based on the claim that the City of Asheville and Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office haven’t complied with his subpoenas or discovery […]
City, prosecutors resist records demand of lawyer for Asheville journalists
After two Asheville journalists were convicted of trespassing last month, their lawyer, Ben Scales, said he would get a bevy of documents and records before his clients appealed to Buncombe County Superior Court. On May 1, Scales attempted to make good on that promise, subpoenaing a long list of items from the Asheville Police Department. […]
Asheville journalists convicted of trespassing for covering police action at public park
Two Asheville journalists were convicted of trespassing Wednesday for covering the city’s police presence in a public park on Christmas night 2021. Chief District Court Judge James Calvin Hill found Veronica Coit and Matilda Bliss, two journalists for the self-described leftist news outlet The Asheville Blade, guilty of second-degree trespassing for failing to leave Aston […]
Asheville reporters scheduled for trial this week as a related one about protestors begins
Two reporters for the progressive online news source The Asheville Blade are scheduled to go on trial Wednesday after being arrested for covering a police sweep of Aston Park. Matilda Bliss and Veronica Coit are each facing misdemeanor trespassing charges, a low-level crime that can carry up to 20 days in jail and a $200 fine. […]