TV reporter Sara Rivest was reporting on the Kentucky Festival when a man came up to her and kissed her on the cheek before running away.
At the moment, Rivest maintained composure, saying “That was not appropriate” while the camera cut away.
She was just going to move on, as many journalists who have been in her position have done, but after re-watching the clip from WAVE 3 News she noticed the man pretending to spank her in the background before kissing her.
Hey mister, here’s your 3 seconds of fame. How about you not touch me? Thanks!! pic.twitter.com/5O44fu4i7y
— Sara Rivest Genhofer (@SaraRivest) September 20, 2019
“I felt like a prop in a joke,” she told The Washington Post.
The police were able to identify Eric Goodman, 42, after Rivest filed a police report.
Rivest read the apology letter from Goodman on-air which in part said, “I was wrong to interrupt your job, invade your personal space and leave you feeling powerless.” She noted that she does think he knows he did wrong but also thinks the misdemeanour charge (punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a fine of up to $250) is appropriate.
“I think there’s a difference in the way women are expected to handle it sometimes,” she told The Post. “I’m sure everyone would tell me I don’t need to feel this way, but I felt this need to laugh it off, and be reassuring that it was okay, even though it wasn’t.”
A court date is set for November.
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