Florida lawyer asks judge to close Bryant hearing to cameras
Associated Press

EAGLE, Colo. (AP) _ A Florida lawyer who is worried about the possibility that his 11-year-old son, a basketball fan, will see explicit sexual material on television has asked a judge to prohibit cameras in the courtroom for Kobe Bryant's Oct. 9 preliminary hearing.

John Thompson of Coral Gables, Fla., told Eagle County Judge Frederick Gannett on Monday that the hearing could include detailed allegations about what happened at the resort hotel where Bryant, 25, is accused of raping a 19-year-old worker on June 30.

Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers guard, is charged with felony sexual assault. He has said he had consensual sex with the woman.

``This court cannot and must not ignore, as if they did not exist, the rights and wishes of millions of parents, inside and outside this country, to raise their children free of the intruding details of rape that we now can expect to see on ESPN's SportsCenter sandwiched between the Major League Baseball highlights,'' Thompson wrote.

If Gannett denies the request, Thompson asked him to require a delay of at least 10 seconds for a live broadcast from the hearing to allow a court-appointed official to delete sexually explicit material.

Also Monday, Gannett gave broad authority to Pitkin County sheriff's investigators whom he appointed to look into allegations by Bryant's attorneys that law enforcement officials had provided information about the case to reporters in violation of an earlier court order.

The instructions allow the investigators to interview any current or former law enforcement officials, including members of the district attorney's office, who participated in the Bryant case, and anybody else who had access to the sealed court records. wtf?