Lawmaker questioned in protest scuffle

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A police investigation sent detectives to the Roundhouse Wednesday night over claims a state representative assaulted a woman documenting a protest at a Santa Fe hotel in January.

Photographer Lisa Law claims Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell, went too far after a protest last month that she caught on camera.  

The video shows protestors crashing a dinner filled with lawmakers at a Santa Fe hotel. Law said she was not part of the protest and was only documenting the Occupy movement.

She has been documenting protests since the 1960s.

She said after snapping pictures outside she sat down to eat with some friends and moments later found herself caught up in events.

“When I was sitting there having dinner with friends, I realized there was about to be an action,” Law said.

Law said she started shooting with her digital camera. However, by the time she got around the bar she only caught the tail end of it.

The video showed protestors getting shoved out. However, that’s not what has her worked up.

It was what she said happened right after that led to Law contacting police and the District Attorney’s Office.

Law said the video showed someone pounced on her when the video went black.

“The other guy is wrestling for this camera, and I’m wrestling like this,” Law said.

Law said two people grabbed her camera causing a cut on her hand. She claims one of the individuals was Kintigh, a retired FBI agent.

“He grabs me like this and says you're not going anywhere,” Law said.

However, Kintigh said in no way did that happen.

“I battered no one and made assaults on no one," he told KRQE News 13.  "I escorted an individual out of our area, an individual who was harassing private diners."

The lawmaker said he only placed a hand on the shoulder of someone who had a cell phone camera to help escort them out.

Kintigh said he found out about the investigation on Tuesday and welcomed the detectives to the Roundhouse. He said he along with about nine other representatives were pulled out of the House chambers and questioned.

Kintigh said he would do the exact same thing again.

No one has been charged in the incident.

Occupy protestors claim it was (un)occupy protestors who caused the scuffle inside the restaurant. They said their movement stayed outside.