HAMILTON, Ohio – A judge says data from the pacemaker of a man accused of setting his Ohio house on fire in 2016 can be presented as evidence at his trial.
The Hamilton-Middletown Journal News reports the judge ruled Tuesday in Ross Compton's case. The 59-year-old Middletown man has pleaded not guilty to aggravated arson and insurance fraud charges.
Police say Compton described packing belongings when he saw the fire, throwing them out of a window and carrying them to his car. Investigators say a cardiologist reviewed Compton's cardiac device and concluded his medical condition made the actions he described "highly improbable."
Ross's attorney had argued that the data should be thrown out because searching the device violated Compton's constitutional rights.
But the judge says the individual data is no more private than other things.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
