Rhode Island AG special assistant arrested in Newport over trespass

A Rhode Island special assistant attorney general was arrested in Newport last week after a confrontation outside a downtown restaurant, where she and a companion refused to leave and argued that she could not be trespassed because of her government title. The incident, captured on police body cameras and publicly released, has prompted an internal review by the office of the attorney general, which said it would examine the circumstances in the coming days.

Authorities say the arrest occurred on August 14 at the Clarke Cooke House on Bannisters Wharf, after Newport police responded to a report of an unwanted party. The individuals involved were advised to depart; staff indicated that the property would be trespassed if they did not leave. Video shows the women disputing the trespass designation, with one person insisting they were not trespassers and repeatedly asserting, “I’m an AG.” As officers moved to detain them, the scene escalated, with the woman identified as Devon Flanagan—an appointed Special Assistant Attorney General—being placed in the back of a patrol car. She is heard telling officers that they would “regret this” as she is escorted away.