Posted on 04/14/2006 7:52:06 AM PDT by Locomotive Breath
By TIM WHITMIRE : Associated Press Writer
Apr 14, 2006 : 10:22 am ET
DURHAM, N.C. -- Police attempted to search the dorm rooms of Duke University lacrosse players amid an investigation into the alleged rape of an exotic dancer at a team party, the school's president said Friday.
(Excerpt) Read more at herald-sun.com ...
She appears to be enrolled, can't say if she is actually taking classes. Here's a link to a document at NCCU that appears to show how many community service hours have been performed.
Scroll down to Mangum Crystal G for her hours.
Well if they couldn't actually find the location specified in the warrant. But that wasn't the case here. Stupid paper indeed.
bttt
I see how ludicrous you can get. Do you really mean to equate studying and getting good grades to hiring a stripper to come to your party?
bttt
I had a different take on the police' attempt to interview. From all reports, the Durham PD acted professionally and the DA screwed it up royally. After the NCCU debacle this week, a Durham officer sighed heavily when asked if there were a case. He simply replied that "the DA says that his presence means the case won't go away so I guess it won't go away." It is possible that the Durham PD is disgusted with the DA overstating and sensationalizing the case from day 1 and are trying to protect themselves from a fallout. The DA and police should have done these interviews to begin with -- exclude any potential suspects and then interview team members. Instead, the DA stampeded to the cameras declaring every player guilty of either rape or accessory to rape or obstruction -- thus guaranteeing that the PD could not conduct an investigation.
bttt
I said that last night. I predict that very outcome, if no one is tried and convicted there will be another "Rodney King Trial" response across the country.
This may be why the police are trying to talk to the players only a couple of days before the case is to be presented to a grand jury - they want to know which of the 46 players were at the party and which were not. Presumably in the original interviews with the three housemates, the guys were unable to or didn't tell them exactly which players were at the party and which players weren't.
If police had a good handle on exactly which players were at the party, they would have focused the DNA request on those instead of all 46.
But since some weren't there (in NY on interviews or just didn't go), if the accuser picks someone off the wanted poster and "IDs" him but he wasn't at the party, and who has airtight corroboration as to where he actually was, then even his base in Durham may stop believing Nifong's allegations.
So these attempted police interviews on the eve of the GJ may be a last minute desperate gambit to make sure that the two players she "IDs" are two who were actually at the party.
If Nifong doesn't clear this up by Monday, he may decide NOT to present to the GJ but wait a couple more weeks.
Nifong's informing the defense lawyers recently that he couldn't answer their questions about the procedure under which an ID would be made, because the PD hadn't presented him with a written report on that yet was very strange. It showed a disconnect between his office and the investigation. Yet, he seems to be the engine driving the whole thing.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1615023/posts?page=44#44
That's the point at which I knew the Durham PD was not on the DA's side.
And say what you want about "swagger" but when a cop shows up at your door and wants in without a warrant and wants to question you without your lawyer, swagger is what lets you nicely tell the cop to take a hike.
I found it very interesting that the attorney said they had been unable to get access to public records identifying the officer at Kroger's, the time when she arrived at the jail, and when she was admitted to the hospital. "The last time she was seen was riding off in the back of the police car," he said.
Abrams quoted a defense attorney saying she had ID'd a player who wasn't at the party.
Is this for real?
Who was unable to get public records? The press?
The team members' attorneys.
it also sounds like these guys have a history of major alcohol abuse and some of them have histories of making racist comments.
the athletic dept. should have intervened previously.
as long as college administrations and athletic depts. look the other way at substance abuse and out of control behavior, bad things will happen. (and i don't mean that i think a rape occurred.)
when my daughter lived in a freshman dorm at duke, girls would come back from frat parties (the main source of entertainment on campus) and throw up all over the place.
i'm sure duke isn't as bad as some schools (eg U of Wisc), but the alcohol situation is really crazy there.
It's quite possible that in the initial interviews police had with the three players living in the house the police for whatever reason took an instant dislike to the players.
Human nature is what it is, and can play a factor in situations like this, leading the police to shade to one side or the other as they investigate.
Looks to me like Nifong is between a rock and hard place at this point. If he proceeds and *MORE* concrete evidence supporting the players turns up, he's screwed.
If he drops the investigation and basically calls this girl a liar, he's screwed.
Should be fun to watch.
Other than what was supposedly said at the stripper party itself, I have seen absolutely nothing to support this.
What is your source for claiming that some had a "history" of racist comments?
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