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FeedCows, the Lantern and the law
It started with the escape of two cows on the Ohio State University campus.
From there, it all went downhill. What began as a raucous episode of “Green Acres” suddenly devolved into a scene from “Dragnet” and exploded into a full-blown “Law & Order” marathon.
While snapping photos of attempts to corral the frenzied beasts, a photographer for the Lantern student newspaper found himself detained by university police, prompting questions about students’ rights, freedom of the press and inquiries into the university’s legal policies.
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon in late April, freshman Alex Kotran says he ran to his dorm room in Lincoln Tower to grab his camera after seeing police and hearing of livestock running amok in the nearby athletic fields. They’d fled from the vet hospital down John H. Herrick Drive, crossing over the Olentangy River.
Once at the scene, Kotran, who’s double majoring in business and political science and considers photography “a hobby,” says he was told by a university police officer that it was too dangerous for him to be there. Kotran says he complied and eventually followed one of the animals back up Herrick Drive to Vivian Hall near Lane Avenue and Rt. 315. While there, he says, the same officer ran up, told him he was under arrest and placed him in handcuffs.
“When I asked what I was under arrest for, he said, ‘Criminal trespassing,’ ” Kotran says. “I said, ‘But I’m on public property,’ and he started arguing with me and cited two Supreme Court cases that said he has the right to arrest me.”
University police chief Paul Denton acknowledges that Kotran was held, but denies he was arrested and defends his officer’s actions. “My judgment is based on partial information at this point, but I believe the student put himself and others at risk,” he said in early May, adding, “Other news media were there without interfering.”
Next it got political. Kotran wondered whether the newspaper would support him if OSU leveled charges. However, the concept presented a major conflict of interest. John Milliken, the publication’s general manager, wouldn’t comment when Columbus Monthly contacted him, but was quoted by the Lantern as saying, “It would be as though Ohio State were suing itself.” (The Lantern is affiliated with the School of Communication.)
In the meantime, Kotran scrambled to find a lawyer to represent him. “It’s kind of hard to hire an attorney if you don’t know what you’re being charged with,” he said on a Monday in early May.
By that Tuesday evening, however, OSU announced that no charges would in fact be filed against the student, much to his relief—and no doubt to the university’s PR department, as well. A series of front page headlines of the ordeal appearing in the Lantern launched the story virally, arousing the attention of reporters and media rights attorneys alike.
“I never could have anticipated the level that this escalated to,” Kotran says.
Asked if he plans on continuing to work for the paper, he responds without hesitation. “Absolutely. I don’t have any qualms with anyone. I’m just glad we’re able to move forward.
