Washington: A man has been charged after he was identified by the police as the person who kissed a TV reporter during a live broadcast at a music festival in the US state of Kentucky.
Sarah Rivest, a reporter for WAVE TV in Louisville, was doing a live segment last week outside the Kentucky Exposition Centre when a man popped on camera and planted an unwanted kiss on her cheek.
Caught off guard during the broadcast, the reporter said: “OK, that was not appropriate”, but she quickly got back to reporting.
As she signed off, WAVE anchor John Boel asked her if she was OK, and Rivest replied that she “might need some help” after Boel mentioned a police officer who was near the shot.
The man was later identified by Louisville Metro Police as Eric Goodman. He was charged with harassment with physical contact, a misdemeanour, according to a police spokesman.
Rivest confirmed the news in a Twitter post on Thursday. She said Goodman wrote her an apology letter.
Prior to the man being identified, Rivest tweeted the video segment from the incident, writing: “Hey mister, here’s your 3 seconds of fame. How about you not touch me? Thanks!!”
More than 300 people commented on the tweet. A majority of them supported her, saying Rivest handled the situation well while on air.
“I am so angry for you. Good for you for calling him out!” one commenter wrote.
“I’m pissed at myself that I laughed,” Rivest responded.
