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.

[Sacajaweau]

Honor college student. For all we know, she is taking one class. It took me 7 years to get a two year degree because my kids came first. When they went to school...so did I.

[Carolinamom]

The benefit collected $430 and love letters.

[maggief]

Did he score that endorsement around the same time the police chief went on personal leave?

[snarkytart]

The PD has endorsed Nifong, correct?
___________

Good question.

The police union endorsements during a political campaign is not necessarily reflective of what the real cops/detectives on the street think.

I bet they are not too happy with Nifong's behavior during this case. We have heard that.

[GAgal]

I only saw that very important fact mentioned in one article. It said he was on personal leave, but was keeping informed of developments. No reason was given for his absence.

[maggief]

Read the report ... it's a hoot.

Warning: Language content

http://groups.google.com/group/durhamsustains/browse_frm/thread/de91c9f59c440864/8f690931c488b241#8f690931c488b241

http://groups.google.com/group/durhamsustains?lnk=lr

[maggief]

Somethin' just ain't right. ;)

[Carolinamom]

The possibility that Nifong could win the election would probably get him their endorsement because if they didn't endorse him and he won, he'd most likely start firing them all...given his proclivities to date.

[snarkytart]

Endorsements

__________

Thanks for the info.

[Howlin]

Was there just a press conference by Nifong?


How is he avoiding the press while he's running for office on Tuesday?

[Carolinamom]

The Chief of the Police in Creedmore held the press conference this morning. Afterwards, it was reported that Nifong said he was still going ahead w/the trial. 'Guess that was his political statement.

[Carolinamom]

I forgot to add that the video of this morning's press conference is on the WRAL site.

[snarkytart]

The possibility that Nifong could win the election would probably get him their endorsement because if they didn't endorse him and he won, he'd most likely start firing them all...given his proclivities to date.
_____________

Sad but true.

Politics is an ugly game.

I do expect Howlin and other locals to keep all of us updated Tuesday night as the results come back.
Lets hope Nifong loses.
I know that even if he loses, he will remain the DA until Jan-07', but as a lame duck he will not have the clout to get his way. As someone else mentioned, if Nifong loses we might start hearing all kind of leaks from the DA's office and the DPD about this case.

[Carolinamom]

Politics is an ugly game.

Unfortunately, true. Freda Black said, "If you [Durham voters] want more of the same, then vote for Nifong."

[GAgal]

http://www.newsobserver.com/122/story/430111.html

"(Police) Chief Steve Chalmers was unavailable. He has been on personal leave, though HE CONTINUES TO WORK, and is abreast of developments...".

How is it that Chalmers is on leave, but continues to work? Early on it was City Manager Patrick Baker who answered questions about why it took so long to search the party house, and in the article above he is explaining the actions of detectives who sneaked into Edens to question players.

If Chalmers is absent, why isn't the second-in-command police officer speaking for the PD, instead of Baker?

[Neverforget01]

Maybe Jesse Jackson could pay for additional counseling to go with the tuition. I'm afraid this girl is delusional.

[toldyou]

"It might be easy with a regular camera but the photo is built into a "system" in these cell phones. There's even the possibility that GPS data on the photos is available and that's related to time."

Good to know. I just love (sarc) these so called "experts," they have as guests on the cable news shows, who fan the flames and don't know the facts!

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" The three allegedly held her against her will in a house, raped her and threatened to kill her."

It's like Groundhog Day with the AV.

Rita Cosby's interview with the AV's father On April 3,2006

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: " She did tell me she thought she was going to die.

She said she thought they were going to kill her."

[NCjim]

Wasn't Eden an outgrowth of Leaksville, Spray, and another town? If so, what was the third town? I have been racking my brain and cannot think of it.

[darbymcgill]

Unless this one is blurred on purpose by the defense for some reason, because there is noway Dan could be talking about this photo, you cannot see anything.

I don't know if there are other photos of time pieces that are better than the one we see as 12:00:29, but in this photo when zoomed in you can definitely see one of the hands point to what appears to be the 12:00... If it was straight up 12:00 then the two hands are indistinguishable...

It doesn't look like this photo has had the watch face photoshopped... If it was, it was done by someone much better than whomever photoshopped the AV's pics... I don't see the obvious smudges on this photo that appear on the others...