A woman was arrested outside of the Massachusetts courthouse where Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial is being held after she allegedly tried to take photos of the jurors.
The Massachusetts State Police said Dawn Light was taken into custody around 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, outside of Plymouth District Court.
Light, 56, was charged with intimidation of a witness, jurors or person furnishing information in connection with criminal proceedings. She has pleaded not guilty.
She was arraigned on Wednesday, September 2, and prosecutors asked that she be held on $50,000 cash bail, according to NBC Boston. However, the judge released her on personal recognizance with several conditions.
Prosecutors said that state police were called to the courthouse after receiving a report that someone might have been filming jurors in the parking lot.
Officers reported to the employee parking area and found a vehicle parked in a restricted area located behind the courthouse. They then asked the person inside whether she had been filming or taking pictures of people in the parking lot.
“She was adamant she was not,” Assistant District Attorney Nicole Piacentini said of Light’s conversation with the officers, per the outlet. “She stated she was waiting to see if Lindsay Clancy would come out of the building.”
The officers asked to see Light’s phone, and they did not find any photos or videos taken of people in the parking lot. However, they did find footage of a number of people leaving the courthouse in the deleted section of her camera roll.
Court officers later confirmed that the individuals featured in the video were jurors in Clancy’s case, and Light was taken into custody.
Prosecutors reflected on the seriousness of the charge while asking that Light be given a high bail amount.
“It’s very clear that this is a situation that is very serious for the Commonwealth. This is a case in which she is filming jurors that are coming out of the building,” Piacentini said, per the outlet. “The courthouse has taken extraordinary measures to protect the sanctity of the trial. This individual is not only videoing jurors coming in and out of the courthouse, she went back there to a restricted area. The sanctity of the judicial system is at risk because of her actions. It’s an extremely serious matter for the Commonwealth and the integrity of the proceedings.”
Piacentini also pointed out that Judge William Sullivan issued an order prohibiting the photographing or filming of jurors amid the high-profile case.
“Although she states she was looking for Lindsay Clancy to come out of the courthouse, it was clear she was filming the jurors,” she said. “Court officers were able to determine she was filming the jurors. She was in clear violation of the order by Judge Sullivan in this case.”
Meanwhile, Light’s attorney, Jennifer White, argued that the defendant should not receive a high bail because she has no prior record and has strong ties to the community.
“This is a complete misunderstanding, your honor,” White said. “My client was seeking a picture of Ms. Clancy and had no interaction with the jurors.”
The judge ultimately allowed Light to be released with the conditions that she stay away from the courthouse grounds, have no contact with jurors or witnesses involved in Clancy’s trial and she cannot share information about any of the photos or videos she took.
Light is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on October 15.
Clancy, 36, is currently on trial after killing her three kids in January 2023. While she has not denied the murders, Clancy’s attorneys argued that she should not be held criminally responsible due to her mental state at the time of the incident.
The jury is currently deliberating in the case.
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