UTA grad who quit TV job on-air faces 54 years in prison
A former Alaska TV reporter who dropped an f-bomb while quitting during a live broadcast is now in legal trouble.
Charlo Greene, who went by the name Charlene Egbe when she graduated from University of Texas at Arlington in 2011, made headlines when she said, “F--- it, I quit” during a report on the Alaska Cannabis Club, which she owned.
The Guardian, which is based in London, reports that Greene is accused of 14 offenses carrying sentences that total 54 years in prison.
Alaska, which legalized recreational pot in 2014, launched raids at Greene’s club, eventually charging her with offenses relating to “misconduct involving a controlled substance.”
“It’s almost dizzying when you try to make sense of it,” Greene told The Guardian about her trial. “It could literally cost me the rest of my adult life.”
In August, the Alaska attorney general issued an opinion on marijuana social clubs.
“When Alaskans voted in 2014 to liberalize personal use of marijuana and to allow a commercial marijuana industry, they also voted to prohibit public consumption of marijuana,” Alaska Attorney General Jahna Lindemuth said in a news release. “Unlicensed marijuana social clubs are public places like any other place of business — such as cafes, movie theaters, or retail stores — where marijuana consumption is not allowed by law.”
Greene has pleaded not guilty, with a trial expected in a few months, according to the newspaper.
In a YouTube video posted in September, Greene addresses the trial.
“I am literally fighting for my life and my future because I took a stand for all of you and for justice and freedom,” she says in the video. “But knowing that I helped just one person enough .... makes this trial bearable.”
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This story was originally published October 4, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "UTA grad who quit TV job on-air faces 54 years in prison."