Story at a glance
- A Superior Court judge in North Carolina reportedly jailed a local newspaper editor after a reporter used a recorder in a courtroom against the judge’s directions.
- Judge Stephan Futrell sentenced Richmond County Daily Journal news editor Gavin Stone to five days in jail and delivered a $500 fine.
- North Carolina law allows courts to charge criminal contempt if a violation of an order occurs after a clear warning.
A Superior Court judge in North Carolina reportedly jailed a local newspaper editor after a reporter used a recorder in a courtroom against the judge’s directions.
Judge Stephan Futrell sentenced Richmond County Daily Journal news editor Gavin Stone to five days in jail and delivered a $500 fine, a move the paper’s publisher Brian Bloom argues does match up with the severity of the reporter’s courtroom violation.
“The penalty does not fit the crime,” Bloom told The Associated Press (AP). “Let’s put this in perspective: You stop a murder trial not once, but twice, because a guy had a tape recorder sitting next to him on a bench at a courtroom. Let’s put our priorities in place here.”
Futrell did not respond to a request for comment from the AP.
Bloom told the outlet that Staff Writer Matthew Sasser used a recorder in the courtroom, for note-taking purposes, after passing through security. Court rules allow judges to determine whether recording devices are allowed in their courtrooms, and Stone was reportedly aware that the devices were prohibited. Stone believed the rule applied only to cell phones and told Sasser the audio recorder should be fine.
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The judge asked Sasser to remove the recorder upon learning of its presence in his courtroom. A bailiff called Sasser at the newsroom to return to the courtroom to speak with the judge, and Stone went with him, according to The AP. The judge delivered Stone’s sentence on the spot.
“I was blown away that the decision was made that fast,” Stone told The AP. “It happened so fast. There was no real way to process it in the moment and recognize what I was even involved in. All of a sudden, I’m in orange.”
An appeal has been scheduled for July 16, where a court will decide whether to fine Sasser and Stone $500 apiece and consider up to 30 days in jail. North Carolina law allows courts to charge criminal contempt if a violation of an order occurs after a clear warning.
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