By: (AP) A man whose arrest on minor charges sparked speculation of a possible link to the BTK serial killings has sued three media outlets, including The Associated Press, alleging they defamed him in their reporting.
His arrest was triggered by a BTK-related tip in which police discovered outstanding warrants for trespassing and housing violations.
Roger Valadez, who filed the lawsuit, told KAKE television in an interview Monday he thinks about the incident all the time: "People were looking at me. People were staring at me."
The lawsuit names as defendants Emmis Communications, which operates the KSN group of stations, including KSNW-TV in Wichita and KSNT-TV in Topeka; Journal Communications Inc. and Journal Broadcasting Group of Kansas, which owns Wichita's KFDI-FM radio station; and the AP, according to a copy of a draft petition of the lawsuit.
In his petition, Valadez is seeking in excess of $75,000. The lawsuit alleges the defendants broadcast his name and address and information about his family on Dec. 1 and 2 on television, radio, and the Internet.
The AP decided in the early hours of the story not to name Valadez and did not do so.
"We haven't been served and haven't seen the complaint and therefore can't comment," said Dave Tomlin, AP's assistant general counsel.
None of the media outlets had been served with the lawsuit, and all declined to comment on it.
"I know one thing. We stand by everything we did," said Todd Spessard, news director at KSNW-TV.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here