Shutterbug Can't Bug Cameron Diaz

A photographer charged with using photos of Cameron Diaz in an extortion attempt was denied release on his own recognizance and was ordered to stay away from the actress.

John Rutter, 41, had been scheduled to enter a plea Thursday in Superior Court, but Commissioner Jeffrey M. Harkavy postponed the arraignment to Aug. 28 to allow him time to hire a private attorney.

Rutter was arrested Tuesday and held on $250,000 bail. Harkavy said that if Rutter could post bail, he was not to contact Diaz.

The photographer faces charges of attempted extortion, grand theft, perjury and forgery for allegedly trying to use photos of the 30-year-old actress to try to extort $3.3 million from her. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted, the district attorney's office said.

Attorneys for Diaz and Rutter have declined to describe the photos or discuss the contents of a videotape taken from Rutter's Venice apartment.

Rutter told the syndicated news program "Inside Edition" in mid-July he took the pictures well before Diaz's big break in the 1994 film "The Mask."
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, also declined to discuss the photos.

Last week a judge ordered the photographs and videotape of Diaz sealed and set a Sept. 12 hearing in Superior Court on her request for an injunction against Rutter.