Equipment, videotape returned to news crew

Review-Journal

Camera equipment and a videotape seized last week from a television news team on assignment near the Air Force's secret Groom Lake base in Lincoln County were returned Thursday, said a correspondent involved in the incident.

"We filed a protest with the Pentagon," said the correspondent, James Walker, of "ABC World News Tonight."

Walker said neither the Air Force or Lincoln County authorities have come forward with the search warrant that Nola Holton, Pahranagat Valley justice of the peace, verbally authorized.

Holton, who was unavailable Thursday, has said she could not say whose complaint prompted a Lincoln County sheriff's deputy to request the search warrant.

District Attorney Thomas Dill was also unavailable Thursday afternoon.

Air Force officials have said the equipment was confiscated to determine if the news team violated national security laws. The Air Force does not acknowledge the Groom Lake base exists and, through a contractor security force, has attempted to suppress attempts to photograph the base from ridges on public land.

"The Air Force has absolutely shot themselves in the foot," Walker said, noting that the base never appears in the videotape.