FILE: A motorist whose car has its two front wheels opposing each other is pulled over by a policeman for a moving traffic violation. (Reuters)
Police have charged a Massachusetts woman with unlawful wiretapping after accusing her of secretly recording her arrest on disorderly conduct charges.
The Springfield Republican reported that Karen Dziewit, 24, was arrested early Sunday in Springfield, accused of drinking outside a building and yelling and disturbing residents and refusing to quiet down.
When the Dziewit was about to be arrested, police say she activated her smart phone recording feature, hid it in her purse and recorded her arrest. During the booking process, police found the phone with its recording feature on.
Dziewit was charged with unlawful wiretapping, disorderly conduct and an open container violation. She denied the charges during an arraignment hearing on Monday in Springfield District Court, according to the Republican.
Her father, Fred Dziewit, told the Boston Herald her daughter is furious about the charge and maintains that she did nothing wrong during the arrest.
“She went nuts when I brought her home,” Fred Dziewit said. “Slamming doors, screaming, crying. How would you feel if you were a young girl locked up for 14 hours?”
According to a police report obtained by the newspaper, Karen Dziewit was being arrested when she "screamed something to the effect of, 'I’ve been recording this thing the whole time, my phone is in my purse, see you in court.'"
The arrest stemmed from a "heated argument" between Dziewit and two men after the trio visited a West Springfield bar, according to the report.
While Massachusetts law prohibits the recording of audio without the consent of the person being recorded, a Boston attorney won a $170,000 settlement against the city in 2012 after he was arrested for using a cell phone to shoot video of an arrest, the Republican reported.
A pretrial hearing in Dziewit's case is set for July 8.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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