Man arrested at Obama event in Ottumwa for Drugs

OTTUMWA- A freelance sound engineer hired to work for a ABC News crew was arrested before President Barack Obama's speech in Ottumwa. Secret Service agents say the man had marijuana inside a backpack. A backpack he brought to an event secured by bomb-sniffing dogs and heavily armed guards.

According to Ottumwa Police records Dept. A 25-y-o Thomas Persino from Des Plaines, Ill was arrested at 12:35pm. Persino is charged with prohibited acts and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police records indicate the Persino is a sound engineer.

ABC News released the following statement with regards to the arrest : “As has been our practice for the past decade, we hired a local cameraman to cover an event today in Iowa. That cameraman in turn hired a local soundman who was detained by the Secret Service after they discovered marijuana in his backpack. The Secret Service notified local authorities who have taken the soundman into custody. While we did not hire this soundman directly, we certainly regret that the Secret Service and local authorities had to waste their valuable time dealing with this matter.”