Sarcone said he could not let outside pressure or criticism influence prosecutorial decisions. He also denied that he had any “ulterior motive” in pursuing a case against a newspaper that has been critical of him in the past.
Sarcone said Des Moines police investigators believed Sahouri broke the law by remaining near members of an unlawful assembly who were damaging commercial property and throwing rocks at officers after they were told to leave. His office agreed.
“She got arrested an hour-and-a-half after dispersal orders were given. Those are lawful orders. People can’t defy those lawful orders,” Sarcone said. “No one is above the law.”