Dartmouth man charged after crude remark made to reporter on live TV
Nash John Gracie, 25, charged with public mischief and causing a disturbance
A 25-year-old Dartmouth, N.S., man has been arrested and is facing charges after allegedly making an obscene comment and gesture to a CTV reporter on live television.
Nash John Gracie was arrested on Sunday and charged by Halifax Regional Police with public mischief and causing a disturbance.
The incident occurred on Dec. 29 while CTV reporter Heather Butts was broadcasting live during the world junior hockey championship game from Halifax's Pint Public House.
A recording shows a man who approaches Butts and appears to make a crude gesture while calling out a sexually explicit phrase.
Butts turned around and continued with her report, later acknowledging the on-air incident in a tweet, saying she "will be pursuing this further."
Gracie is scheduled to appear in Halifax provincial court on March 1.
"[These] cases are not all that common but we do take them seriously," Halifax Regional Police Const. Carol McIsaac said in an email.
"It's disturbing and upsetting not only to the person who the words are spoken to but to those who are exposed to it during the incident. We have brought the file to a successful conclusion and will now leave the matter in the hands of the courts."
In a statement released on Tuesday, CTV's parent company, Bell Media, praised police for their work.
"We applaud Halifax Regional Police for pursuing this matter. The harassment experienced by Heather Butts and other reporters is completely unacceptable."