Cameras in courtrooms
A Seminole County trial was interrupted Tuesday when a courtroom deputy observed a man in the gallery videotaping proceedings with a tiny camera hidden inside a device that looked like a pen. The judge excused the jury for lunch and then called the man to the front of the courtroom and ask what he was up to. The man, who identified himself as David King of Ada, said he had bought the hidden camera in China and had decided on his own that it would be intesting to videotape the trial of his friend, Stephanie Sills. Special Judge Gayla Arnold did not appear to be amused. Arnold said it was against court rules to record court proceedings without first obtaining permission. She confiscated the camera for the duration of the trial and said if anyone else videotaped proceedings without prior permission, she would consider the person to be in contempt. In this day and age, when cameras can be found in cell phones and numerous other devices, their use in inappropriate places could increasingly become an issue.
324 Area Code Warning
There is no 324 area code in the United States, but many people nationally have reported receiving scam calls that showed up on their caller ID systems as originating from the 324 area code. One Internet source, wikianswers.com, reports the calls appear to be originating from Ghana, West Africa. A Northern Oklahoma businessman said he recently encountered an apparent credit card scam that used the 324 area code. A man who identified himself as Preacher Tim from Idaho tried to get the businessmanto send 600 blankets to an orphaage in Idaho, he said. The scams reportedly take many forms, but a call that appears to originate from a 324 area code should be cause for suspicion, unless a person is expecting a call from Ghana.
