If the agent didn't retrieve the screenshots himself when he easily could have wouldn't that be easily dismissable evidence since the screen grabs could have been falsified in some way?
These screenshots are part of a court filing to get that search warrant. Imagine if I sent in an anonymous tip that my neighbor was running an illegal dogfighting ring, and I included photos of dogs I'd seen in his yard. My possibly-faked photos probably wouldn't stand up in a trial, but they certainly might help convince a judge to sign a search warrant for further investigation.
It seems like the agent has to claim he took the screenshots himself; otherwise, they are worthless as "evidence."
> It seems like the agent has to claim he took the screenshots himself; otherwise, they are worthless as "evidence."
Exactly. Evidence requires a chain of custody otherwise it is worthless.