Home Economy Government Report: Assistant AG pleads no contest to trespassing charge in Newport

Report: Assistant AG pleads no contest to trespassing charge in Newport

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PBN Staff

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08/27/2025

IN AN IMAGE taken from police body camera footage, Newport Police officers interacting with R.I. Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan, left, and her friend outside the Clarke Cooke House in Newport on Aug. 14. /NEWPORT POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PROVIDENCE – The assistant attorney general who was recorded by police refusing to leave the outside of a Newport restaurant on Aug. 14 pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported Wednesday. Devon Flanagan, a special assistant attorney general, was arrested on Bannister’s Wharf by Newport police after she and a

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PROVIDENCE – The assistant attorney general who was recorded by police refusing to leave the outside of a Newport restaurant on Aug. 14 pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor trespassing charge, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported Wednesday. Devon Flanagan, a special assistant attorney general, was arrested on Bannister's Wharf by Newport police after she and a friend argued with officers outside Clarke Cooke House – an argument that was caught on a now-viral bodycam video. The video released by Newport police shows Flanagan asking an officer multiple times to turn off his body camera and then repeatedly saying, “I’m an AG.” After she is handcuffed and placed in a police cruiser, she warns the arresting officer, “You’re going to regret this.” On Wednesday, Flanagan entered a no-contest plea in District Court in Newport. She received a six-month filing and was ordered not to return to the Clarke Cooke House. She has to pay court costs. Flanagan was placed on unpaid leave for six months. According to a previous WPRI report, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha informed Flanagan on Aug. 25 of her punishment, although he did not use the word suspension when discussing the situation with her. “Special Assistant Attorney General Devon Flanagan mistreated the Newport Police Department and embarrassed herself, the office and, frankly, me,” Neronha said in a statement. “We hold our attorneys to the highest personal and professional standards, and Ms. Flanagan plainly did not meet those standards here. “I sincerely hope she takes this time to reflect on the seriousness of her conduct and makes corrective changes in her life. She has a long road ahead of her, but I believe that in the long run, our worst moments can inspire us to become better people,” Neronha said. Flanagan was initially placed on unpaid leave on Aug 22. According to the attorney general’s office, Flanagan has worked for the state’s top legal office for nearly seven years and has been assigned to the criminal division’s appellate unit, The Associated Press previously reported. The body camera footage shows the officers approaching a restaurant staff member and asking if “they want them trespassed.” The person clasped his hands and responded, “Trespass, yeah. Cuff ’em, please.” When the officer told Flanagan and her friend, who was also arrested, that they are trespassing, Flanagan said, “We’re not trespassing; you haven’t notified us that we’re trespassing.” “What did I just say to you? You’re trespassing,” said the officer, who is not identified in the video. “I’m an AG. I’m an AG,” Flanagan later said. “Good for you,” the officer says with an expletive. Eventually, Flanagan is put in a patrol vehicle and said, “Buddy, you’re gonna regret this. You’re gonna regret it.” Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.