Posted on 08/27/2007 2:14:41 PM PDT by Shermy
Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon.
Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.
A spokesman for Craig described the incident as a “he said/he said misunderstanding,” and said the office would release a fuller statement later Monday afternoon.
After he was arrested, Craig, who is married, was taken to the Airport Police Operations Center to be interviewed about the lewd conduct incident, according to the police report. At one point during the interview, Craig handed the plainclothes sergeant who arrested him a business card that identified him as a U.S. Senator and said, “What do you think about that?” the report states.
Craig was detained for approximately 45 minutes, interviewed, photographed, fingerprinted and released, and police prepared a formal complaint for interference with privacy and disorderly conduct.
According to the incident report, Sgt. Dave Karsnia was working as a plainclothes officer on June 11 investigating civilian complaints regarding sexual activity in the men’s public restroom in which Craig was arrested.
Airport police previously had made numerous arrests in the men’s restroom of the Northstar Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal in connection with sexual activity.
Karsnia entered the bathroom at noon that day and about 13 minutes after taking a seat in a stall, he stated he could see “an older white male with grey hair standing outside my stall.”
The man, who lingered in front of the stall for two minutes, was later identified as Craig.
“I could see Craig look through the crack in the door from his position. Craig would look down at his hands, ‘fidget’ with his fingers, and then look through the crack into my stall again. Craig would repeat this cycle for about two minutes,” the report states.
Craig then entered the stall next to Karsnia’s and placed his roller bag against the front of the stall door.
“My experience has shown that individuals engaging in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall,” Karsnia stated in his report. “From my seated position, I could observe the shoes and ankles of Craig seated to the left of me.”
Craig was wearing dress pants with black dress shoes.
“At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot. I moved my foot up and down slowly. While this was occurring, the male in the stall to my right was still present. I could hear several unknown persons in the restroom that appeared to use the restroom for its intended use. The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area,” the report states.
Craig then proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times, and Karsnia noted in his report that “I could ... see Craig had a gold ring on his ring finger as his hand was on my side of the stall divider.”
Karsnia then held his police identification down by the floor so that Craig could see it.
“With my left hand near the floor, I pointed towards the exit. Craig responded, ‘No!’ I again pointed towards the exit. Craig exited the stall with his roller bags without flushing the toilet. ... Craig said he would not go. I told Craig that he was under arrest, he had to go, and that I didn’t want to make a scene. Craig then left the restroom.”
In a recorded interview after his arrest, Craig “either disagreed with me or ‘didn’t recall’ the events as they happened,” the report states.
Craig stated “that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine,” the report states. Craig also told the arresting officer that he reached down with his right hand to pick up a piece of paper that was on the floor.
“It should be noted that there was not a piece of paper on the bathroom floor, nor did Craig pick up a piece of paper,” the arresting officer said in the report.
On Aug. 8, the day he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in the Minnesota court, Craig appeared via satellite at a ceremony that took place in Idaho in which former Idaho federal Judge Randy Smith was invested into his new position as a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In October 2006, Craig’s office publicly denied allegations that he was a homosexual made on a gay activist Web site — blogactive.com. Craig’s office told the Spokane Spokesman-Review that the charge was “completely ridiculous,” saying that the allegations had “no basis in fact.”
Steven T. Dennis contributed to this report.
No.
or would you pretend that nothing happened?
Not sure anything happened from what's being reported except a cop trying to justify sitting in the john.
The reason he plead guilty is that he panicked.
That's your opinion and one possibility. Another possibility is that he wanted it to go away and mistakenly believed the fastest thing to avoid press scrutiny was to pay the fine and get the heck out of there. The alternative was a lengthy and messy out of state court case. He made a poor choice but that choice doesn't prove he was guilty.
So?
I am amazed that it took 51 posts before someone made your point. I find it disturbing that anyone (Republican, Democrat, apolitical) can be arrested in the USA for touching shoes with someone else and wrapping his hand around the bottom of a stall wall.
I agree that he had intentions and should resign due to his moral failings, but what exactly in this list of things that he did are actually illegal? I can see being arrested for having actual sex in public, but for tapping your shoe? Gee, I better quit wearing my iPod in the can, I migh get carried away and tap my foot and end up in the slammer.
But aren't you bothered by the idea that grabbing the side wall is illegal?
They need to post signs inside of stall doors to the effect the "wide stances and foot tapping" are considered offenses of law. /sarc
We need to check if this SGT is on the take from the Dems
What non thinkers we have become - even in the Republican party. Especially among others who should KNOW better about giving the guy some benefit of INVESTIGATING THE FACTS INSTEAD OF JUMPING ON THE INSTANT CONDEMN SEN.CRAIG BANDWAGON when he “confessed” to doing nothing more than tapping his feet!
And you never did address ONE of the issues I mentioned. Why don’t you take a stab at that.
*************
I understand your point of view, and I'm sympathetic to it. However, I believe Craig should resign. A few points:
1. I believe Craig has been accused of homosexual behaviour in the past, going back to his college days, if I recall correctly.
2. Craig did plead guilty, although to a lesser charge than solicitation.
3. He didn't ask for an attorney. Why? Because he knew he was guilty?
4. The "tapping" and "hand signals", while a mystery to those of us who are not male homosexuals, are apparently well-enough known in that community. To most of us, the entire episode probably seems surreal, but I think we may be naive.
5. This event has forever linked his name and what happened with Mitt Romney's campaign. That won't have a positive affect. It's also a black eye for Republicans in general. It's one thing to be a homosexual. For most of the general public, it's another thing to be looking for sex in a public men's room. He should resign.
Any large deposits from an account in the name of Larry Flynt should be duly noted. I think we are going to see more and more setups between now and the elections.
Trying to sneak a fag in a public bathroom can get you into trouble.
LOL! Who knew tapping a foot was a coded signal.
How many times do you think this puke has engaged in this behavior?
What a total sleazeball.
You know, his explanation is sooo pathetic.
Lifting up pieces of toilet paper from the floor?
Does anyone in their right mind ever do that.
Bet he’s the type who never washes his hands either.
What..he just HAPPENED to know that little homosexual, public toilet mating dance? Bet he learned it in one of the many chatrooms where 'straight' and married men look for gay sex (and then go home to their wives and children, ugh). lol
And Sears Dept store bathrooms. At a local one (about 22 yrs ago) they had to post signage and hire security to let those seeking anonymous gay sex know to look elsewhere.
Adulterers of all kinds make me sick, but these kinds, the kind who want a wife and family AND gay sex even moreso.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.