Why Wasn’t Jules Vasquez Not Charge for Failure to Wear Face Mask in Public?

As you heard earlier in the news, Nigel Petillo and his attorney Arthur Saldivar have been charged with S.O.E. violations, including a charge for not wearing a mask in public. The two were taken to court today. Now, Seven News Director, Jules Vasquez is coming under fire from the public since he was seen last Thursday covering a demonstration without a mask as is required by the State of Emergency Regulations. Vasquez and other reporters were covering an illegal protest on Coney Drive and while the other reporters and the protestors were wearing a face mask, Vasquez was not. That was caught on camera and since then; the public has been asking if Vasquez was receiving preferential treatment. Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams addressed the matter on Ask the Experts.

Chester Williams

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The Commissioner was not out there in that morning in question when Jules Vasquez was seen without a mask on. I am one man and I can be at one place at a time and I was not out there. I rely on those officers below me to discharge their functions of police officers. Upon seeing the video I questioned the officers who were working out there to ascertain from them what had happened. From the explanation I got was that the officers were busy dealing with Raymond Rivers who was behaving a way and they did not see Jules until a little while after. I spoke particularly to the officer who was in charge, Superintendent Chan and Chan said to me that upon seeing Jules Vasquez without the mask he approached Jules Vasquez and said to him that he was not wearing a mask. Jules Vasquez apologized to him saying that he just ran out of the vehicle forgetting that he did not have on the mask and quickly Jules went got the mask from the vehicle and put it on. If the officer accepts Jules Vasquez’s explanation and exercised his discretion not to charge Jules Vasquez based on his explanation then I personally don’t see anything wrong with that.”