Ken Lovett, the Albany bureau chief for the New York Daily News, was arrested by State Police troopers in the lobby of the New York State Senate.

On March 28, 2018, Lovett was handcuffed by State Police troopers in the lobby of the Capitol building and taken to a nearby State Police substation for processing.

After being released, Lovett told the Freedom of the Press Foundation that he was talking on his cell phone when he was approached by a Senate sergeant-at-arms, who ordered him to turn off his phone. Lovett said that he refused, telling the sergeant that the Senate wasn’t in session and he (and many others) routinely used their cell phones in the lobby.

Lovett said that the sergeant-at-arms escalated the situation, ordering him to leave the premises and then calling in State Police troopers, who also ordered him to leave the area. He said that he “stood his ground” and was then arrested and told that he could be charged with trespassing.

The Senate sergeant-at-arms refused to comment on the incident.

Nick Reisman, a reporter for Capital Tonight, spoke to eyewitnesses who said that Lovett was talking on his phone when he was approached by the Senate sergeant-at-arms and then arrested by State Police troopers.