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Watch: Woman arrested in her yard while videotaping police
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A Rochester woman is due in court Monday in connection with her arrest in her front yard while she was videotaping police at a traffic stop at the curb by her house.
Emily Good, 28, is charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports.
In the video, which has appeared on YouTube, an unidentified policeman repeatedly tells Good that the officers do not "feel safe" with her standing behind them while they are making an arrest.
Good counters that she is only standing in her front yard and is not threatening anyone.
Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard has ordered an internal investigation of the incident, which occurred in May.
Police Union President Mike Mazzeo says it is clear from the video that the officer felt threatened by Good's presence. "I see an officer using great restraint, maintaining composure, acting professional, clearly giving very clear and concise orders to an individual who just simply didn't comply," Mazzeo says, according to WHEC-TV.
Mazzeo says Good was "certainly trying to engage the officers" and that made the situation dangerous "because it's a distraction to what these officers are doing."
WHEC-TV, which first reported the story, quotes Good's attorney, Stephanie Stare, as saying she has filed a motion to have the charges thrown out.
"The video's going to speak for itself. People can watch it and draw their own conclusions." Stare tells WHEC. "Basically the grounds for the motion to dismiss are that her actions did not rise to the level of a crime. It doesn't fit the statutory elements of obstructing governmental administration."
WHAM-TV reports that Good was arrested in March on a similar charge at a protest at a house eviction in the neighborhood.
Source: USA Today