A news reporter with the Alaska Dispatch News on Tuesday filed a police report, saying a lawmaker from Wasilla struck him on the face inside the Alaska State Capitol.
In a story published Wednesday by the ADN, reporter Nat Herz said he was struck in the face by Sen. David Wilson, R-Wasilla, on Tuesday after Herz asked Wilson whether a story Herz wrote was fair.
Herz captured the events on audio and subsequently spoke to the Juneau Police Department.
The event was captured in JPD’s daily bulletin as, “On 05-02-2017, a 29-year-old male reported harassment that occurred on 4th Street. Investigation continues.”
By phone, Herz said he’s “just doing a blanket no-comment” on all questions about the story but added that the version reported by his newspaper was accurate and complete.
Daniel McDonald, a spokesman for the Republican-led Alaska Senate Majority, said by email on behalf of the Senate Majority that “the Senate expects professional conduct and decorum from all members. Until all the facts surrounding the situation described are available, we have no further comment.”
Herz was uninjured, and no one from Wilson’s office picked up the phone late Wednesday.
Wilson, a legislative freshman, was elected in 2016 after the retirement of District D Republican Charlie Huggins. In an upset victory, Wilson defeated frontrunner Lynn Gattis in the Republican primary, then cruised to victory in the general election.
Herz, the ADN’s statehouse reporter, has covered the Capitol seasonally for the past three years. On Monday, he published a story saying Wilson has proposed a bill that would cut funding for many social service organizations in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, with the notable exception of the one that Wilson worked for until last year.
Contact Empire reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 419-7732.
