Man claiming to be cable news producer ticketed after allegedly following Rittenhouse jury bus
KENOSHA, Wis. — Kenosha police say a person claiming to be a producer for MSNBC has been ticketed for traffic violations after allegedly following a bus carrying members of the jury for the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.
In social media posts Thursday morning, the Kenosha Police Department said they believe the man was trying to photograph members of the jury.
Jurors in the case are taken to and from the courthouse each day in a secured bus with covered windows, so no one can see inside and the jurors can’t see signs from protesters that may influence their deliberations.
Police said the man who was ticketed was following the bus and ran a red light before being pulled over and asked about what he was doing. The man said he was acting under the direction of someone at MSNBC in New York.
There was no breach of security on the juror bus and no photographs were taken, according to police.
In court Thursday morning, Judge Bruce Schroeder said he was taking the matter very seriously and banning MSNBC from the Kenosha County Courthouse for the remainder of the proceedings.
“This is a very serious matter and I don’t know what the ultimate truth of it is, but absolutely it would go without much thinking that someone that is following the jury bus, that is a very…extremely serious matter and will be referred to the proper authorities for further action,” Schroeder said.
In a statement to the Associated Press, NBC News said the man was a freelancer who received a citation for a traffic violation that took place near the jury vehicle, and he “never contacted or intended to contact the jurors during deliberations, and never photographed or intended to photograph them.”
The statement said the network regretted the incident and would fully cooperate with an investigation, the AP reported.
The jury in the trial reported to the courthouse for a third day of deliberations at approximately 9 a.m. Thursday, according to court officials.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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