MESA, Ariz. — A reporter with an alternative newspaper in Phoenix has rejected a plea deal to settle a disorderly conduct allegation.
The allegation against Ray Stern, a reporter with the Phoenix New Times, stems from an October incident in which Stern was barred from photographing Maricopa County sheriff's public records at a law office.
The sheriff's office says Stern caused a commotion and scared employees at the law offices of Iafrate & Associates in Phoenix.
"I know I wasn't yelling," Stern said. He went to the law office to view 1,300 pages of public records from the sheriff's office for a story he was writing.
Employees at the law office would not allow Stern to photograph the documents with his own camera, arguing it wasn't permitted under the Arizona Open Records Law. They offered to make copies for him at 50 cents per page — about $650 in total — or let him simply review them.
Arizona law doesn't forbid photographing public records.
Michele Iafrate, a private attorney under contract with the county, asked Stern to leave. That evening, two sheriff's detectives went to Stern's house and gave him a citation for disorderly conduct.
Stern said on Dec. 24 that a Phoenix prosecutor offered him a fine of $100 or attending anger-management classes in exchange for a guilty plea. "I'm not going to (plead guilty)," Stern said.
The New Times and the sheriff's office have long butted heads. The same night deputies went to Stern's house, detectives arrested and booked New Times' top executives, Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, on suspicion of disclosing grand jury information.
The two, who were later released, had published a story about grand jury subpoenas demanding broad access to reporters' notes and files, as well as information on visitors to the New Times Web site.
Dennis Wilenchik, a special prosecutor hired by the county attorney, was investigating the newspaper after it published Sheriff Joe Arpaio's home address on its Web site.
County Attorney Andrew Thomas fired Wilenchik the following day and ended the probe.