A Maricopa County sheriff's detention officer who was jailed for defying a judge's order to publicly apologize to an attorney for looking at her documents will be released from custody.
A Maricopa County sheriff's detention officer who was jailed for defying a judge's order to publicly apologize to an attorney for looking at her documents will be released from custody.
The Arizona Court of Appeals on Thursday granted officer Adam Stoddard's request to be allowed out of jail as an appeal of his detention is considered.
The court noted that the order shouldn't be interpreted as a ruling on the merits of the appeal.
Stoddard walked up to a defense attorney's desk in a Phoenix courtroom in October and removed a document. A judge found him in contempt when he refused to publicly apologize.
He was jailed Dec. 2 and the judge had said he would remain there until at least Christmas.
Stoddard has said he couldn't apologize because he didn't do anything wrong.
