Man faces assault charges after incident at Newport city council meeting

NEWPORT, RI (WLNE) – A man is charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct after an incident occurred during a discussion about offshore wind energy at a Newport City Council meeting.

Newport police searched for the identity of the man, whom they were able to locate and arrest within a few days.

The man, who has since been identified by spectators at the meeting as David Booth, is said to have snatched a bag of blade fragments from participant Constance Gee and tried to take a piece of fiberglass from her hand.

According to a press release from State Rep. Patricia Morgan, Booth is the field director for Climate Jobs Rhode Island.

Morgan stated in her press release that Booth had been featured on Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's campaign website and that Booth's photo had “mysteriously disappeared” since the incident.

Morgan goes on to say that Whitehouse should have publicly condemned the incident.

In a statement to ABC6 News, the White House team said the person in the background of this photo is not an office employee and is not associated with the campaign.