Report: Prosecutor suspended over courtroom photos

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) — A state prosecutor in Danbury has been placed on administrative leave, reportedly over complaints that he surreptitiously took photos of women's legs and feet in court.

Senior Assistant State's Attorney David Holzbach, 52, allegedly used a camera concealed in a pen to take the photos inside state Superior Court, The News-Times of Danbury reported in Friday's print editions, citing multiple sources it did not identify.

Holzbach, a prosecutor in Danbury for 24 years, didn't return a phone message left at his home by The Associated Press.

He told the newspaper earlier this week that he has not been informed of the nature of the allegations against him.

"I don't even know what the claim is," Holzbach said before declining further comment.

Holzbach's boss, Danbury State's Attorney Stephen Sedensky III, confirmed Friday that Holzbach has been on paid administrative leave for "a couple months." He declined to say why. Holzbach's salary is $129,000 a year.

Sedensky also said the case wasn't a criminal matter, but declined to elaborate.

"It's just a personnel matter that I can't comment on," Sedensky told the AP.

The state's voyeurism law makes it illegal to photograph or videotape someone's image without his or her permission, but it doesn't apply to public places such as courtrooms where the person would be in plain view and doesn't have a "reasonable expectation of privacy."

Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane also declined to release the allegations against Holzbach on Friday, saying it was "an administrative matter." He said Holzbach will remain on leave until the administrative process ends. He declined to say whether Holzbach faces a disciplinary hearing.

Former Danbury State's Attorney Walter Flanagan, who retired in 2007, also told the newspaper he had received several complaints about Holzbach from female employees at the courthouse, but Flanagan wouldn't elaborate.

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Information from: The News-Times