Journalist Mike Kirsch Gets Criminal Charges Reduced

Investigative television journalist Mike Kirsch beat the man. Well, sort of. The 44-year-old enterprising reporter just completed a pretrial intervention program that will allow him to wipe the slate clean on charges he assaulted Miami-Dade Police Officer Patricia Perez during a traffic stop on February 14 of last year. She arrested him on a felony count of resisting arrest with violence and two misdemeanors – assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct.

Kirsch, who was fired from CBS4 following his arrest, denied the charges, claiming he was a victim of retaliation for airing an unflattering report on Miami-Dade Police. Read about it here.

Prosecutors subsequently dropped the misdemeanors and changed the felony to a misdemeanor for resisting arrest without violence. For the past six months, due to a non compete clause imposed by CBS4, Kirsch has been doing freelance work around the country, including a gig with Al-Jazeera English Television. “But that just expired, allowing me to work again in Miami,” Kirsch said via e-mail, adding he just spent two days on the California-Mexico border with a group of minutemen.

“At first they were reluctant to do anything with Aljazeera English,” the veteran journalist said. “It has been a hurdle with many people until you explain the network is manned by Americans, Brits and Canadians.” -- Francisco Alvarado