Posted on 04/25/2006 2:34:48 AM PDT by abb
DURHAM - District Attorney Mike Nifong plans to reinstate misdemeanor charges against a half-dozen Duke lacrosse players, saying a March 13 party where a woman reported a rape broke the deals that the players made with prosecutors.
Nifong's decision could affect players who, before the party, had entered agreements in which prosecutors would dismiss the cases if the players performed community service and stayed out of trouble for six months or a year. Among the first to have his charges reinstated was David Evans, one of the team captains who lived at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., the site of the party in which lacrosse players hired two women from escort services to dance. One of the women told police that she was raped by three men in a bathroom.
Two players, Collin Finnerty, 19, and Reade William Seligmann, 20, were charged last week with first-degree rape, first-degree sex offense and first-degree kidnapping. Their attorneys say the men are innocent.
On Monday, an attorney for Seligmann filed a motion seeking information that would help attack the credibility of the woman, the only person, according to the defense filing, who says a rape occurred. The motion seeks information about the woman, including criminal charges, mental and emotional problems the woman has suffered as well as social services, probation, child protective services and victim's advocacy records.
Today, Finnerty is due in a Washington court where prosecutors in an assault charge are considering whether to revoke a deferred prosecution agreement similar to those affecting other players in Durham.
According to court records, 16 players were charged in the past three years with misdemeanor charges in Durham including noise violations, public urination and alcohol violations. The deals placed the men on probation for either six months or a year.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsobserver.com ...
I am sorry. I assume you mean the address. My bad. Since so much is known about these folks, it didn't even dawn on me. Also, since the player's addresses are all over the media, it didn't seem unusual. But you are correct; I wasn't thinking. I wish there was an edit function in this board.
Tell me about it... :-)
Ah, but there IS an edit function!.....admin moderator. :-)
LOL! Right you are :)
Perhaps someone should let him know that he isn't helping his beloved daughter by getting in front of a camera every chance he gets and then changing his stories.
Fox reporting that David Evans (one of 3 team captains) has had misdemeanor charges reinstated against him....
He was on Abrams show today....I think it was Abrams...
..and he said the dad should just 'shut up'...and the DA needs to 'shut up' too.
Seems I recall him, yes...
Is hiring a stripper (although stupid)...illegal?
Desperately searching for link or additional news. THat's all that was said on FoxNews. But I suppose he incriminated himself when he admitted to investigators early on that he was at the scene of the alleged crime.
The report said the DA said that the team captian violated the agreement by hosting the party because he "knew" underage drinking would go on there. They described the reinstated charge as an alcohol related charge.
The three team captains were legal age, correct? They're the only people who have admitted to being there. Look for a quick hearing on this...
I am not sure if the players will just beat the rap or if the DA say in August just goes back to the original agreement.
Several Duke lacrosse players who say they were at a team party the night of the alleged rape of a 27-year-old woman have told ESPN's George Smith that an argument over money and the amount of time two exotic dancers were expected to perform was at the center of a dispute that night.
The players, who agreed to speak with ESPN on the condition their names not be used, also admitted that slurs and bad language were used by some players and the dancers during the argument.
Last week, a grand jury indicted players Reade Seligmann, a sophomore from Essex Fells, N.J., and Collin Finnerty, a sophomore from Garden City, N.Y., on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual assault.
The woman, an exotic dancer who had been hired to perform at a team party March 13, told police three men raped her in a bathroom of an off-campus house.
The scandal has led Duke to cancel the season and forced coach Mike Pressler's resignation.
The players, who would not go on camera, also would not discuss many details about the case or answer more specific questions about exactly what happened.
But they told ESPN's Smith that not all 47 players were at the party at the time the woman said she was raped; some had already left. The players told Smith they admit it was foolish to have the party, but deny that any rape occurred. They also believe the two students charged so far will not be convicted.
Defense attorneys had no comment on the ESPN story. Neither did Durham district attorney Mike Nifong, who continues to proceed with this case and has said he expects to charge a third person soon.
The father of the accuser, meanwhile, told MSNBC on Tuesday night that his daughter had considered dropping the case, but as of now he says she will go through with it. His name wasn't used so as not to reveal the identity of the accuser.
"She has talked about it," the accuser's father said of dropping the case. "She has talked about it. As a matter of fact, she told me it was getting to be too much on her. She couldn't take it. So far, she's still hanging in there though.
"I'm hoping she will hang in there, but I know it's getting rough on her now. . . . I'm praying and hoping that she don't [drop the case]."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report
I've been out of the loop all day...is that all the news today..other than charges being re-instated to several players?
Social Tensions Surface with Duke Rape Allegations
by Juan Williams
Morning Edition, April 26, 2006 · Durham, N.C., is focused on rape allegations against members of the Duke University lacrosse team. The case has brought racial and class tensions to the forefront in the state's fourth-largest city.
Although I have been posting a little today, I was out of the loop also. I think that the complaining witnesses's father was on one of the news talk shows earlier but I missed it.
Only one of the players has had the charges re-instated, I think. One of the captains...
I wanna know when Crystal's charges are going to be re-instated to felonies instead of all misdemeanors.....since she was 3 sheets to the wind in the Kroger parking lot.....
((crickets now chirping.....))
I'm building a ping list for this thing. If anyone who's active on this thread don't wanna be on it, speak now....
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