Duke Lacrosse Accuser Made Previous Report

AP ^ | Apr 27 2006 | AARON BEARD

[Conservative Coulter Fan]

The woman who says she was raped by three members of Duke's lacrosse team also told police 10 years ago she was raped by three men, filing a 1996 complaint claiming she had been assaulted three years earlier when she was 14.

Authorities in nearby Creedmoor said Thursday that none of the men named in the decade-old report was ever charged but they didn't have details why.

A phone number for the accuser has been disconnected and her family declined to comment to The Associated Press. But relatives told Essence magazine in an online story this week that the woman declined to pursue the case out of fear for her safety.

The existence of the report surprised defense attorneys, one of whom has sought information about the accuser's past for use in attacking her credibility.

"That's the very first I've heard of that," said Bill Cotter, the attorney for indicted lacrosse player Collin Finnerty, who along with fellow Duke sophomore Reade Seligmann is charged with first-degree rape, kidnapping and sexual assault. He declined additional comment.

Attorneys for Seligmann asked the court this week to order the state to turn over the accuser's medical, legal and education records, and hold a pretrial hearing to "determine if the complaining witness is even credible enough to provide reliable testimony."

The accuser, a 27-year-old student at North Carolina Central University in Durham, told police she was hired to perform as a stripper at a March 13 party, where she was raped by three men.

According to the Creedmoor police report in August 1996, when the woman was 18, she told officers she was raped and beaten by three men "for a continual time" in 1993, when she was 14. She told police she was attacked at an "unspecified location" on a street in Creedmoor, a town 15 miles northeast of Durham.

The report lists the names of the three men, but no other details. Creedmoor police Chief Ted Pollard said Thursday he had no recollection of the report, and his staff has been unable to find any additional information about it.

Durham police Officer Brian Bishop, who interviewed the accuser in 1996 while working on the Creedmoor force, said Thursday he had a vague recollection of the report but couldn't remember any details.

When asked about the accuser's previous report of rape, Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong declined to comment.

Before Seligmann and Finnerty were indicted, attorneys for the players pointed to the accuser's criminal history when answering questions about their clients' legal troubles. The woman pleaded guilty to several misdemeanors in 2002.

[maggief]

http://www.wral.com/news/9067482/detail.html


Friday, April 28, 2006 10:13 am EDT
Creedmoor Officials Discuss Previous Report Made By Duke Accuser

EXCERPT

They did not say why the complaint, which was about an alleged rape by three men in 1993, was not explored further. They said that they were not sure if it was because the accuser did not pursue the case.

The accuser was asked by police in 1996 to write and submit a chronological version of the events, but police could not say if it was ever submitted. It was not found in a search of police records.

"If the accuser did not pursue the case, that is the end of it," said Pollard, who added that he did not know if that was the case.

Moss said that the city was planning to meet with Granville County District Attorney Sam Currin to find out if he has any records about the case. Moss said that Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong called Creedmoor police Friday morning, but they had not talked about the report before the news conference.

Reached by WRAL after the news conference, Nifong said that he was not planning on dropping the case against the two Duke lacrosse players charged with rape.

[buoybob]

What???

Change that "p" in Rape to a "c". No what I am sayin?

[I want to know]

From the same article:

With aspirations to travel the world, the former husband said, she signed up in the fall of 1996 for an eight-year enlistment

So she enlisted for the Navy in the fall of 1996 and reported a rape from 1993.

[maggief]

She filed the report 8/18/96 ... then enlisted in the fall.

hmmmmmmmm

[shhrubbery!]

I can't imagine that anyone not blinded by class envy or racial prejudice can believe this woman, especially after this

Actually it's the shrieking banshee feminazi cable commentatorettes who are THE most blinded in this case.

E.g., Wendy Murphy --the absolute worst of the lemon-sucking, foaming-at-the-mouth, rabid, rude, intolerant, illogical, presumptuous man-hating screamers.

And Kimberley Guilfoyle (aka ex-Mrs. Gavin Newsom).

Some posters here are mentioning Nancy Grace, too. I wouldn't know about that since I can't stand to look at Miz Grace's hate-filled face. Nasty.

And hey, I'm a woman, so I can say these things. Right, girls?

[Neverforget01]

I should know this..but when did the year of counseling and medications start?

[maggief]

I'm not sure when they divorced. See also GAgal's post.

---

At 19, she married, but got separated two months later. She was divorced about a year later. In a brief interview Monday, her ex-husband described her as "very loving" and said she's usually quick to smile. He said he saw her about a week ago, and knew something was wrong by her demeanor. He also said she "has been hurt before," but didn't elaborate.

In 2002, she was working at a topless club in Durham, when she stole a cab driver's car keys while giving him a lap dance, according to a police report. When the driver went to the bathroom, she drove off in the cab and led police on a lengthy car chase. In the process, she smashed into a patrol car and attempted to drive through a fence, but was eventually arrested after her car got a flat tire. She tested at 0.19, more than twice the alcohol limit.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/colleges/14312569.htm

[Carolinamom]

Pure speculation: Effort to shake down the 3 black men named?

[Carolinamom]

But the husband told Rita that they were married for 4 years.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I find it hard to believe he doesn't recall it.

Maybe he is one of the good guys. Seriously. I asked the other night if a cop knew the DA was going after someone who was not guilty were there ways they could "forget" things?

I asked in the context of the lineup. If all knew he was doing the lineup wrong, and they knew this was a bum rap, would they let him destroy his own case?

Who knows? Maybe he did have a vague recollection and tried to tell Nifong and Nifong said he was not interested.

[ladyjane]

If the watch doesn't match the cell phone timestamp, it's no big deal. Cell phone time is more reliable than the time on somebody's watch.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Meant to add--if he likes his job, he needs to be careful what he says publicly.

[maggief]

So she files the report 8/18/96 when she's engaged to McNeill and then enlists in the fall.

When did she marry, separate, and divorce?

Weird.

[GAgal]

http://www.nbc17.com/news/9054222/detail.html

"The woman's parents told NBC17 that their daughter was attacked by the boy she was dating at the time and two of his friends. The three allegedly held her against her will in a house, raped her and threatened to kill her."

"Her parents said that she was so frightened at the time that she decided not to press charges. She lost a tremendous amount of weight the following week and BECAME SUICIDAL, blaming herself over what happened, so they took her to a psychiatrist, they said."

Later in the article the mother said her daughter "has not received any death threats".

[Neverforget01]

Meant to add--if he likes his job, he needs to be careful what he says publicly.

Now THAT I could buy. But the police chief of a town of 2000 "forgetting" or "not recalling" a gang rape is tough to buy.

[Carolinamom]

More speculation: files rape charge against 3 black men in August, joins navy shortly thereafter because she's afraid of them and what they would do to her.

[maggief]

That would be McNeill, right?

[snarkytart]

Reached by WRAL after the news conference, Nifong said that he was not planning on dropping the case against the two Duke lacrosse players charged with rape.

________________

Man he is like a pitbull isn't he??

[Neverforget01]

Thanks for the link. From your source:

Durham police officer Brian Bishop, who interviewed the accuser in 1996 while working on the Creedmoor force, said Thursday he had a vague recollection of the report but couldn't remember any details.

Oh c'mon . How often do gang rapes occur in NC? Someone has to remember something. I think they're avoiding publicity or having to testify . Pure speculation on my part.

[maggief]

Never mind ... that was three years earlier.

Too many stories out there. :)