Nifong: Every Member Of Duke Lacrosse Team A Potential Witness

WRAL.COM ^ | July 17, 2006

[Howlin]

Every member of Duke University's men's lacrosse team is a potential witness in the case against three players charged with rape, Durham's lead prosecutor said Monday while arguing for access to their student ID card records. "We want to be able to confirm what they tell us about where they went afterward," District Attorney Mike Nifong said of the uncharged players.

---

Titus also formally reaffirmed the state's rules governing trial publicity and disclosure of information to the public and the media. The order does not prevent attorneys in the case from talking publicly, but does prohibit statements that have a "substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing" the case. "The rules of professional responsibility require us to be very careful of what we say," said Wade Smith, one of Finnerty's attorneys. "We'll do that. We've been doing that. And we'll continue to do that."

[Locomotive Breath]

I agree - just needed to point out that the lax player in C-S was a degenerate and that, to any reasonable person, the Duke laxers are not.

[JLS]

The editorial was basically useless.

The second article was half right. I graduated from the University of Florida a few years before the murder spree of UF and Santa Fe CC students. That did not become the long run memory people have of UF for a number of reason, including some successful sports teams, but the biggest is that the perp was caught and punished, executed in that case.

If in the Duke case the perp is caught and punished, then I think it will not have that much of a long run effect on peoples opinion of Duke. But we know the perp. His name is Nifong. The question is will he be punished. Will he do say 5 years in prison?

[Locomotive Breath]

I remember back when Jerry Ford was President and there were two assassination attempts within 17 days, the Chronicles headline on the second attempt was "What? Missed Again?"

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I have read in various places the younger guy next to Nifong in court is Hinman. If true, then why Hinman and not Gottlieb?

Could Gottlieb be dragging his heels because of the way Nifong ran rough shod over this case? I would think that Nifong's intrusion would be seen as a territorial infringement by the DPD.

Translated, could Gottleib be one of the good guys?

Sissyjane,
drawing upon your vast experience with cops (her family, LOL not her rap sheet), if the DA butted into a beginning investigation would they consider it an intrusion?

[Hogeye13]

I have heard tell that her rap-sheet is pretty long .....


just kidding.

[JLS]

Could Gottlieb be dragging his heels because of the way Nifong ran rough shod over this case? I would think that Nifong's intrusion would be seen as a territorial infringement by the DPD.

Nifong made Himan the lead investigator so he would have an inexperienced guy to push around. Gottlieb could be one of the good guys. Some experienced lawyers on the CourtTV site have said that the longer someone drags their feet in discovery, the worse it is for them. They suspect Nifong is dragging his feet on Gottlieb's report because it will be very damaging to his noncase.

And yes I have tried to explain to one of the slower posters on the CourtTV site that claims to be a cop or ex-cop that the DPD is probably pissed at Nifong in this case. Mark my word when the eventual day comes that the photo array IDs are thrown out, Nifong will try to blame the collapse of the case on Himan and the police department.

[gopheraj]

mark

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Police probing LabCorp break-ins: Computers stolen from two facilities

June 16, 2006

Police probing LabCorp break-ins: Computers stolen from two facilities

(Times-News (Burlington, NC) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jun. 16--Burlington police are investigating break-ins into two LabCorp facilities over the last two weeks.

The first incident occurred on June 5 at the new LabCorp building between Main Street and Spring Street in downtown Burlington.

According to police, sometime between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., vandals broke into the building by smashing a pane of glass at a side door.

Two laptop computers were stolen.

The second incident occurred on June 11 and, according to Burlington spokesman Major Tim Flack, this was the worse of the two.

Sometime between 1 p.m. Sunday aftermoon and 6 a.m. Monday morning, the building was ransacked on three floors.

In all, 63 cubicles were trashed.

Flack said the vandals primarily only made a mess, going through the building dumping stuff on the floor and turning things over.

"It was just a malicious act --they were just turning stuff over," Flack said. Property stolen over the weekend included two computer monitors, keyboards, a digital music player and loose change from cubicles.

Damage was minimal in both incidents and included only two broken glass panels from the doors and one from a raided office.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 229-7100.
 

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Gottleib is/was head of President of the Durham Police Officers' Association.

If I remember my unions right, he, of all people, would not be too happy with someone suddenly telling them how to conduct investigations. Remember, this was almost a non-story until Nifong and the Black Activists got a whiff of it.

[abb]

Pinging the DukeLax List

As Lacrosse Case Unfolded, Duke 'Cowered,' Group Says
http://www.wral.com/news/9542958/detail.html

DURHAM, N.C. -- Supporters of Duke University are unhappy with how the school is handling an investigation into allegations that three lacrosse members raped a woman at a team party in March.

In an open letter published in Wednesday's The Chronicle, Duke's student newspaper, Friends of Duke University said school leaders "cowered in the face of media pressure" and that the university has "remained hesitant in its support" of the three athletes and the lacrosse team, and in the process, has "sacrificed its own students and values."

The group, made up of alumni, parents and supporters of Duke who said they are deeply concerned about the university's response to the lacrosse case, asked President Richard Brodhead and the Board of Trustees in the letter to consider several recommendations, which include speaking up for Duke students, being fair to the men's lacrosse team and encouraging others to do so as well.

The elite university has received national publicity and criticism for what some call a slow response to the rape allegations, which surfaced in late March, and since three lacrosse athletes, Reade Sleigmann, 20, of Essex Fells, N.J.; Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y.; and David Evans, 23, of Bethesda, Md.; were indicted on charges of first-degree charges of rape, kidnapping and assault.

"We are in no way apologists for the acknowledged inappropriate conduct of the lacrosse team," the group said in a news release on Wednesday. "We want reform, and we believe that everyone in the Duke community, including the team members themselves, do at this point as well."

In the letter, Friends of Duke said the administration's "passive response" to District Attorney Mike Nifong's behavior concerning the case "will lead future students to think twice before attending Duke."

It acknowledges the university's obligation not to comment on pending legal matters, but the group said it wants to urge the university to use all its influence to ensure the three men accused "receive justice through a fair process."

The group also said the "university's treatment of the (men's lacrosse) team has been reactive rather than proactive," and that "necessary reforms must recognize that many of the team's problems exist within the larger Duke community."

A spokesman for Duke University did not comment Wednesday afternoon, but said that a formal response to the open letter could be released later in the day.

Brodhead and the university have undertaken a number of actions involving both the team and the broader issues raised by the case. In April, Brodhead suspended the men's lacrosse season and accepted the resignation of the team's coach. He also appointed several committees to examine the culture of the lacrosse team and to look at how the university responded to the allegations.

Committee findings have since then recommended that the lacrosse team be reinstated under stricter standards and found that the university's slow response to the allegations were a result of questions about the accuser's story. The committee praised Brodhead's actions once he had better information.

Attorneys for the Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans all maintain their clients' innocence and have said no rape occurred on the night of the alleged crime. Nifong, however, contends some sort of sexual assault did occur and has said the case could go to trial as early as spring.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

:-)
Okay sissy, fess up...

[abb]

More...

Open Letter to Brodhead
http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/28442.html

[SarahUSC]

Good point. The HS principals have spoken. Where is Duke?

[SarahUSC]

Hey - can you put me on the Duke Lax ping list? Thanks.

SarahUSC

[JLS]

Gottleib is/was head of President of the Durham Police Officers' Association.

If I remember my unions right, he, of all people, would not be too happy with someone suddenly telling them how to conduct investigations.

I did not put this together. You are right, if anyone in the DPD is sensitive to the issue of someone over stepping their bounds into the turf of the investigator it would be Gottlieb in his roles as an investigator and a union officer.

Remember, this was almost a non-story until Nifong and the Black Activists got a whiff of it.

I remember it was a non-story all you have to do is look at the police actions and inactions after the complaint, but I do not blame the black activists at all. This was stirred up by the Duke leftist faculty, aka the pot bangers. Imagine you are a black activist, once the pot banging leftist of Duke are stirring this up, you have to jump into the fray or look sexist. And it was the pot bangers and their allies at the N&O that brought this case to the attention of Nifong.

My view is that the only reason this case exists is that Duke University hires and tenures people that HATE some of their students based on the race, sex and family income of their students. That is why in my view no self respecting parent would send their child to Duke until it is reformed and some of the Arts and Sciences faculty are removed from the classroom and have their offices taken away or moved to some out of the way part of the campus. [How about 610 Buchanan?]

They are tenured and Duke probably cannot fire them for their bigotry. But Duke is certainly rich enough to continue to pay them without allowing them in the classroom nor allowing them to have an office anywhere around where they can interact with students.

[abb]

More from the Chronicle

The Trial
http://www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2006/07/19/Features/The-Trial-2131798.shtml?norewrite200607191703&sourcedomain=www.dukechronicle.com

[bjc]

I agree that the letter does not do a great job expressing outrage. It is a very polite letter. However, I suspect that Trustees and Board Members who are used to polite discourse - as most of us are - will get the message. The one proviso is that it will do little to persuade those who have made up the minds to sit on their hands. Our hope is that some deep pocketed alums will bend their ears by lambasting Duke's so called President. A President of an institution like Duke who had any stones would have had the NC powers that be reining in Nifong a long time ago - oh for a John Silber type.

[abb]

I hope you're right. I'm just not used to polite happytalk. I'm from the "horsehead in the bed" school of persuasion, lol.

[sissyjane]

Yes- a big intrusion, but I don't think they could stop him from doing it.

DA's do it all the time....

[sissyjane]

Hey!!!! I heard that!!!!