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