A court administrator in Arizona has apologized after a security officer deleted pictures from a reporter's camera.
The Kingman Daily Miner reports that an unnamed security officer approached reporter Bob Leal on Monday after he had taken about eight photographs of a defendant walking toward Mohave County Superior Court. The officer demanded that Leal delete the photos, but Leal said he didn't know how. According to Leal, the officer then deleted the photos himself.
Leal says he knew he was within his rights but gave up the camera because he did not want to get arrested.
Courtroom proceedings cannot be photographed without the judge's permission, but photography is usually allowed outside the courthouse.
Superior Court Administrator Kip Anderson says the officer misunderstood the policy. Anderson apologized to Leal and Daily Miner Editor Rich Thurlow.
