Former Astronaut Makes Plea Deal
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/11astronaut.html
-
-
- vincius
- added this
Capt. Lisa M. Nowak, the former astronaut whose drive to Florida from Texas to confront a romantic rival dominated the news and late-night comics’ routines, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to felony burglary of a car and misdemeanor battery as part of a plea bargain.
The deal, which involves lighter penalties than the charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery that she had originally faced, is the beginning of the end of a case that began in the early-morning hours of Feb. 5, 2007, in a parking lot at Orlando International Airport.
Captain Nowak, a Navy officer who flew to the International Space Station in 2006 as part of the crew of the shuttle Discovery, approached the car of an Air Force captain, Colleen Shipman, wearing a trench coat and a wig, according to the police report, and asked for help. She got Captain Shipman to roll down her window and, according to the report, shot pepper spray into the car.
During questioning, Captain Nowak told the police that she wanted to scare Captain Shipman into speaking with her about Cmdr. William A. Oefelein of the Navy, an astronaut whom both women had been seeing.
In court on Tuesday, Captain Nowak faced Captain Shipman and apologized. Captain Shipman, in tears, told the court that she believed Captain Nowak had intended to kill her.
Several of the objects found with Captain Nowak or in her car — a new folding knife, a BB pistol, a steel mallet and surgical tubing — were widely taken as a sign of violent motives, and she was originally arrested on charges that included attempted kidnapping.
The initial report also noted that there were diapers in the car, which “Mrs. Nowak admitted to using so she did not have to stop and urinate,” according to the police report. That added a decidedly bizarre note that propelled the arrest into a national media sensation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/11astronaut.html
The deal, which involves lighter penalties than the charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery that she had originally faced, is the beginning of the end of a case that began in the early-morning hours of Feb. 5, 2007, in a parking lot at Orlando International Airport.
Captain Nowak, a Navy officer who flew to the International Space Station in 2006 as part of the crew of the shuttle Discovery, approached the car of an Air Force captain, Colleen Shipman, wearing a trench coat and a wig, according to the police report, and asked for help. She got Captain Shipman to roll down her window and, according to the report, shot pepper spray into the car.
During questioning, Captain Nowak told the police that she wanted to scare Captain Shipman into speaking with her about Cmdr. William A. Oefelein of the Navy, an astronaut whom both women had been seeing.
In court on Tuesday, Captain Nowak faced Captain Shipman and apologized. Captain Shipman, in tears, told the court that she believed Captain Nowak had intended to kill her.
Several of the objects found with Captain Nowak or in her car — a new folding knife, a BB pistol, a steel mallet and surgical tubing — were widely taken as a sign of violent motives, and she was originally arrested on charges that included attempted kidnapping.
The initial report also noted that there were diapers in the car, which “Mrs. Nowak admitted to using so she did not have to stop and urinate,” according to the police report. That added a decidedly bizarre note that propelled the arrest into a national media sensation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/us/11astronaut.html
-
- groups:
- Community, Comedy, Random, Current Tonight, 4 more
-
- tags:
- Science, NASA, Space Shuttle, astronaut, 1 more
-
-
Maeveeo
-
wtf
- 2 years ago
-
Maeveeo
-
-
MotherForTruth
-
If the genders were reversed would the outcome be the same?
- 2 years ago
-
MotherForTruth
-
-
vincius
-
A Case of Depends... made it happen...
- 2 years ago
-
vincius
