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Group leader convicted in Groom Lake incident

The Pahranagat Valley Justice Court has convicted Groom Lake gadfly Glenn Campbell of obstructing a police officer during the search of a California television crew.

Campbell - leader of the Rachel-based Secrecy Oversight Council that keeps tabs on the classified Air Force installation at Groom Lake - said he will appeal Friday's conviction, which carries a $250 fine and requires five days of community service.

The conviction stems from a July 19 incident in which a reporter and a camera operator from KNBC-TV in Los Angeles were interviewing Campbell on public land near Freedom Ridge, a viewpoint overlooking the base 12 miles to the west.

Lincoln County sheriff's Sgt. Doug Lamoreaux arrived on the scene at the request of unidentified security guards who accused the crew of directing its cameras toward the base.

The crew refused to turn over the videotapes for inspection by the Air Force and Campbell then reached into their vehicle and locked the door to block seizure of the tapes.

Lamoreaux arrested Campbell for obstructing his efforts and without a search warrant rummaged through the news crew's equipment and confiscated five of their videotapes.

After seven months, the Air Force has returned two of those videotapes.