Judge bars release of Ross arrest tape
A judge has temporarily prevented police from releasing video shot during singer Diana Ross’ drunk- driving arrest in Tucson, Ariz., earlier this week.
Ross’ attorney, Greg Davis, argued the video isn’t public record because it wasn’t made by the police officer who made the traffic stop. Davis said the officer who shot it did so only after learning the driver was Ross.
Davis also said releasing the video would irreparably damage Ross’ right to a fair trial.
Bev Ginn, representing the city, told the judge the tapes were “made under the ordinary course of business.”
Pima County Superior Court Judge John F. Kelly, who approved the temporary restraining order Thursday, set a Jan. 14 hearing to discuss a permanent injunction.
Several media outlets, including “Inside Edition,” the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson’s KOLD-TV, have requested copies.
Ross, 58, received misdemeanor citations early Monday. A breath test indicated a blood-alcohol level of 0.20%, more than twice Arizona’s legal limit of 0.08%, police said.
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