Police say a photographer with the Reno Gazette-Journal on Oct. 9 trespassed at Tesla’s battery factory in Nevada and struck security guards there with a car.
According to Storey County Chief Deputy Melanie Keener, the photographer, Jose Andrews Barron, was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and two counts of felony battery. He was taken to Storey County Jail and held in lieu of $30,000 bail. It’s unclear if Barron is still at the jail.
In a post on its corporate blog, Tesla said Barron and another newspaper employee climbed over a fence and took pictures of the battery factory. When approached, Barron and the other employee jumped into a car with Reno Gazette-Journal stickers. Barron struck a security guard on his way out and hit another security manager on an ATV. According to the newspaper, the driver’s side window was smashed and a seatbelt was cut in half.
Tesla and the newspaper give different accounts of what happened, although the newspaper’s publisher said it would be investigating the incident.
According to Tesla, two people were charged with trespassing, although the sheriff’s office and the newspaper only confirmed one. The automaker didn’t say if its security guards broke the windows or how they managed to pull Barron from the fleeing Jeep.
Barron is a longtime newspaper photographer and has been with the Reno Gazette-Journal since 1998.
The newspaper’s editor and photo editor did not return calls or emails for comment.
It’s unclear if Barron is still employed at the paper.
(Mugshot courtesy Storey County Sheriff’s Office)
Please post a video of this. I vaguely remember a similar episode on Reno 911.
Apparently the getaway car was a Mustang Mach I.
They hopped a fence to get in, but their getaway car was already inside?
Maybe there’s a perimeter fence and an inside fence, like a prison.
He’s been playing too much GTA.
This makes me wonder if the airspace above the Gigafactory is a concern to Tesla.
Every month, you can watch a drone-borne video flyover update of the Gigafactory’s progress. Here is October’s update:
http://insideevs.com/tesla-gigafactory-fly-early-october-video/
Once The Donald gets elected we will no longer have problems with Hispanics climbing fences to gain access to private property.
Why would “they” care if a guy took pictures of the “Gigafactory”?
Unless the Gigafactory turns out to be another Area 51.
I doubt Tesla is actually worried about photographs at this point.
Since this is an active construction site, I would imagine they are most concerned about liability – visitors checking in, wearing proper protective gear, etc.
Tesla is building a large shed in the middle of nowhere. The question really is, will they continue to churn out the obsolete 18650 lithium-ion cell, or try to manufacture something a bit more modern like the cells in the new Volt?
There is talk of them using a 21700 form factor.
The 18650 remains the most popular lithium ion cell in the world, by far. It may not be ideal, but it was a brilliant choice for Tesla. Starting a car company is hard enough without having to reinvent the lithium ion battery. Just ask Fisker.
‘Charged’ with ‘battery’, eh?
Ouch. Now go sit in the corner and think about what you did.
“‘Charged’ with ‘battery’, eh?”
Excellent pun!
Check out the Jalopnik thread on this story for more electrifying ones.
I think it’s hilarious that a newspaper who’s job it is to report news doesn’t respond to an inquiry. Don’t they usually spin it negatively when someone they are asking doesn’t respond?
In this case, their employees are involved, and in all things today, the lawyers are in charge, telling everyone to shut up.
Looks like one of them there “dreamers.”
Sounds like you could film an episode of X-files near the Tesla factory
Photographer trespassing isn’t a problem unique to Tesla. You can’t just barge into a construction site, and many industrial companies prohibit photography of their facility while on company grounds.
Nothing to see here.
IIRC, there have been two White House lawn runners in the last year. They’re lucky to be alive, and they didn’t even assault any guards with their vehicle.
They may be overestimating how exciting readers find photos of factory buildings.