Officer Adam Stoddard was ordered to make a public apology or be thrown in jail by Nov. 30. But late late Monday he defended his actions, saying, "The judge therefore puts me in a position where I must lie or go to jail. And I will not lie."
MCSO detention officer Adam Stoddard was caught on tape snatching a privileged document from the desk of a defense attorney last month.
Stoddard was held in contempt of court for taking the note from Joanne Cuccia's desk. It happened during the aggravated assault sentencing hearing for Antonio Lozano.
"He is to give Ms. Cuccia a sincere verbal and written apology for invading her defense file and for the damage that his conduct may have caused to her professional reputation," said Judge Gary Donahoe. Judge Donahoe said that his deadline for the apology is Nov. 30.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio says that Stoddard was just doing his duty and is in opposition of the judge's order.
Full Statement by Officer Stoddard
"I am Maricopa County Detention Officer Adam Stoddard. I work in the Court Security Division of the Sheriff’s Office and have been with the Sheriff’s Office for five years.
"Recently, Superior Court Judge Gary Donahoe ordered me to hold a press conference to publicly apologize for doing the job I have been trained to do.
"Part of my job in providing security to the court is to inspect documents brought into the courtroom. On October 19th, I saw a document that I had not yet screened, and that raised security concerns. I retrieved that document in plain sight and had court personnel copy it to preserve it as evidence in case it was a security breach.
"It was a split second decision and I do not regret my actions.
"Judge Donahoe has ordered me to feel something I do not and say something I cannot. I cannot apologize for putting court safety first.
"The judge therefore puts me in a position where I must lie or go to jail. And I will not lie."
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