It was, he said, a “pretty dry” lunch.

Richard Masten, the director of Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers, was arrested for contempt of court on Friday after refusing to hand over evidence to the judge. Instead he chose to put the paper in his mouth, chew it and swallow it.

Masten will spend 14 days in jail for his crime, which he said was done on principle as the agency processes anonymous tips for law enforcement.“The issue is the court asking Crime Stoppers to go back on their promise,” he said to the judge.

When someone calls Crime Stoppers with a tip, they are supposedly guaranteed anonymity. He said he ate the evidence because he was worried about being taken into custody, where the tip would be confiscated. His sentence will begin next week.