A woman, who was arrested for taking photos of jury members outside the courthouse in the Lindsay Clancy trial, has been charged with aggravated intimidation of a juror.

Dawn Light, 56, is accused of sitting in a restricted area outside the Plymouth courthouse and photographing jurors as they exited the building on Tuesday. Her lawyer called it a misunderstanding as she pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Lindsay Clancy, 36, is charged with the murders of her three children. The livestreamed trial has captured national and international media attention, and drawn strong, often deeply divided reactions from audiences.

The jury has been deliberating on the case since Thursday.

During Light’s appearance in the court on Wednesday, Massachusetts lawyers said the sanctity of the judicial system was at risk because of her actions.

Light, a registered nurse with no prior criminal record, was ordered to stay away from the courthouse grounds and also from those associated with the Clancy trial. She was also ordered not to produce or disseminate photos that could have been preserved on iCloud.

Prosecutors requested a $50,000 (£37,000) cash bail, which was denied by the judge.

“This is a complete misunderstanding, Your Honour. My client was trying to get a picture of Ms Clancy,” Light’s attorney Jennifer White said in court.

After the arraignment, a swarm of reporters gathered around Light. When one asked, “Why did you want to see Lindsay [Clancy]”, Light replied, “Why not?”.

Authorities said they found Light in a restricted area in her parked car on Tuesday. When asked if she was taking videos, she said she was not and explained that she was waiting for Clancy.

Prosecutors alleged that when they went through Light’s deleted folder on her phone, they found photos of jurors exiting the courthouse, and Light was then taken into custody.

Prosecutors said the courthouse has taken extensive measures to protect the trial that has created a spectacle in the coastal Massachusetts town. They described Light’s conduct as a serious matter.

Judge William Sullivan, who is overseeing the Clancy trial, has an order specifically prohibiting the photographing or filming of jurors.

There are more than 200 reporters covering the case, and a group of women supporters – ebbing and flowing in size – have been coming to the courthouse over the past few weeks.

The case has also drawn wide attention on social media, stoking broader debates around mental health, postpartum psychosis, and the limits of criminal responsibility.

The Plymouth, Massachusetts, jury has been deliberating since Thursday over whether Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her children.

Despite the enormous media footprint, jurors deliberating the case are barred from watching or reading coverage of the trial. They are tasked with agreeing on a verdict solely on the evidence and testimony shown in court.