The woman at the center of allegations of assault against a KXAN reporter and his cameraman told the Hays Free Press she was shocked at the news crew’s behavior.
Michele Hart said she was knocked from behind by reporter Jody Barr and then hit over the head with the heavy video camera during a candidates’ forum in Wimberley Feb. 5 that was sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police. Moreover, she said neither man apologized for what had happened.
Hart said she was trying to ask a question of Pct. 3 Constable Ray Helm, who appeared at the forum along with Jessica Deatherage, his competitor in the March 3 Republican primary, when the news crew pushed past her in what was actually the first of two confrontations. “I was pushed by this guy. I looked at him and said, ‘Excuse me? You just pushed me. I was trying to ask him a question,’ and the reporter said ‘Well, I was too.’”
