Posted on 08/15/2006 2:41:50 PM PDT by abb
DURHAM, N.C. -- A cab driver who has supported an alibi offered by one of the three Duke lacrosse players charged with rape had his own court appearance Tuesday for a larceny charge.
Moezeldin Elmostafa, 37, appeared briefly before a Durham County District Court judge who set a trial date of Aug. 29. Prosecutors also changed the charge against Elmostafa to aiding and abetting misdemeanor larcency.
Elmostafa was arrested in May after he surfaced as a potential alibi witness for Reade Seligmann, one of three players charged with raping a woman at an off-campus party the night of March 13.
The 2003 warrant accused Elmostafa of stealing five purses worth about $250 from a Durham department store. Elmostafa denies the charge, and has said he helped store security locate a woman after he picked her up from the store and drove her home. The woman later pleaded guilty to larceny.
Durham prosecutors said in May the warrant for Elmostafa's arrest was discovered in a routine background check of witnesses in the Duke lacrosse case.
Mostafa has said Seligmann, of Essex Fells, N.J., called for a ride at 12:14 a.m. on March 14, and was picked up five minutes later. The defense has argued those times help establish that Seligmann left the party without having enough time to participate in the 30-minute assault described by the accuser. Seligmann's attorney has also presented cell phone, ATM and dorm keycard records to help establish that timeline.
(Excerpt) Read more at dwb.newsobserver.com ...
AFAIK, none of the details about the 60 Minutes story is confirmed. I think folks should keep their BS detectors turned on.
I wonder who told the paper the discussion between Nifong and the defense lawyers was "genial". I bet it was Nifong, as "vindictive bully" is increasingly used to describe him.
Prostitution and Commercialized Vice Arrest Statistics 1998-2002 per FBI
For Durham County:
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/ezaucr/asp/ucr_display.asp?Select_State=37&Select_County=63&rdoData=1r&rdoYear=98
For State of North Carolina
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/ezaucr/asp/ucr_display.asp?Select_State=37&Select_County=0&rdoData=1r&rdoYear=98
For all of United States
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/ezaucr/asp/ucr_display.asp?Select_State=0&Select_County=0&rdoData=1r&rdoYear=98
Here's the webpage for more recent NC crime stats.
http://sbi2.jus.state.nc.us/crp/public/Default.htm
When this opens up you'll see many choices. Scroll down on the left and look for "Arrests and Clearances." Click on it and scroll down and look for
http://sbi2.jus.state.nc.us/crp/public/2005/Arrests/ArrOffAdtJuvCo0405/ArrOffAdtJuvCo0405.htm
Open that and look for the county choices in the scroll down menu of the window. Find Durham county and click on it. Then scroll thru the offenses and look for "prostitution and commercialized vice."
You can also look up rates for the other years. Takes a bit, but all the data is there.
Now these statistics don't jive with what DPD is telling the locals. They say they're making prossie arrests. Maybe so, but the arrests aren't making it into the database. Maybe they're making the arrests but not booking them. I don't know. But these links are to the National Center for Juvenile Justice and the NC State Bureau of Investigation. They are what they are...
Press Mea Culpa's in the JBR case.
No JonBenet Apologies NecessaryThe press needn't regret its coverage of the case.
http://www.slate.com/id/2147945/
Tabloid TV in Its Element
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-et-tv18aug18,0,3682948.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Durham has some nice areas, I agree. My statements a few nights ago were tongue in cheek, in case you didn't realize that.
As for the community itself, it's time they took the Bull by the horns and cleaned it up. Drive by shootings, prostitution, "adult" entertainment industry, drugs -- are all out of line there. They have an almost nonexistent arrest rate for prostitution. It is likely the most corrupt city in North Carolina.
OMG. I am going to be sick.
PBR, don't despair. We can turn this media navel-gazing to our benefit. All we need to do is beat Melanie, Ruth, et al over the head with it. Often.
They're all guilty of the same thing and we have to remind them of it. Often.
Who, besides me, is old enough to remember that terrible, terrible song, "Feelings."
God, I hated that song.
That article is a double whammy.
1. The author is an idiot.
2. The papers who have thought themselves gracious enough to apologize forget one fact: How do you apologize to a dead woman?
One other thing about the latest JBR media scrum. Boulder's DA said yesterday that Karr should be, "presumed innocent." When have you ever heard a DA say such a thing?
Where would we all be now on the DukeLax case if Nifong had said such a thing when he was running his mouth back in March and April...
More navel gazing...
Story's lurid pull redefined media frenzy
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_4199191?source=rss
They are making arrests, then cutting "deals" forcing the prostitutes to work with the law enforcement group of prostitutes! LOL!
For a fee, of course...
For a "piece" of the action. LOL!
PING! This just in. NC Supreme Court Justice signs off on exceptional designation...
Judge Assigned To Handle Duke Lacrosse Rape Trial
http://www.wral.com/news/9699437/detail.html
Rushes to judgment
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060818/cm_usatoday/rushestojudgment
mark
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