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NY Governor Frees Reporter Arrested For Using Phone In Capitol

A veteran political journalist for The Daily News frequently heard on WAMC was arrested Wednesday for violating a cellphone ban in the lobby of the New York state Senate, only to be quickly released by State Police when Gov. Andrew Cuomo showed up.

Ken Lovett was handcuffed and taken into custody by state police after a Senate sergeant-at-arms observed him speaking on his cellphone in the lobby, where posted signs say phone calls are prohibited. The AP says the rules are commonly ignored by lobbyists, journalists and members of the public, especially when the Senate is not in session.

A cheeky hashtag, #FreeKenLovett, was soon trending on Twitter. Lovett was quickly released and made light of the situation on Twitter, saying, “at least the arrest happened AFTER I got my Springsteen on Broadway ticket,” and adding that the State Police were “very professional.”

Associated Press contributed to this report, © 2018

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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