Posted on 07/12/2002 7:06:01 AM PDT by MizSterious
By Kristen Green
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 12, 2002
Denise Kemal was fired June 28, more than two weeks after her nationally televised testimony, because the company has a zero-tolerance drug policy.
Losing her job has ruined her life, Kemal said yesterday. "I've always wanted to fly," she said. "It took me years to get my job."
She said she is appealing the dismissal because smoking marijuana "wasn't an everyday thing." While she waits for an answer, Kemal, 28 and recently divorced, watches the Westerfield trial from the couch of her new Florida apartment.
Kemal was called to the witness stand by the prosecution June 10. She was at the van Dam home Feb. 1, the night 7-year-old Danielle van Dam was last seen, and spent the evening with Brenda van Dam, the girl's mother.
The two had become friendly through their husbands, who both work at Qualcomm. A spokeswoman for Southwest confirmed that Kemal had been fired, but declined to elaborate. She said company policy states that the "illegal use of drugs, narcotics or controlled substances off duty and off company premises is not acceptable and may result in termination because it can affect on-the-job performance and the confidence of our customers in the company's ability to meet its responsibilities."
Kemal said she was just answering questions posed to her during Westerfield's trial because "I want to make sure he gets convicted."
"Because of him, it's just ruined everyone's lives," she said.
Kemal testified that she went out with her Tierrasanta neighbor Barbara Easton and Brenda van Dam to Dad's Cafe & Steakhouse in Poway two Fridays in a row, Jan. 25 and Feb. 1. They were celebrating Kemal's upcoming move to Baltimore, where she had been transferred for work.
The second night out, Feb. 1, she was introduced to Westerfield, whom she has described as "creepy." Westerfield is charged with kidnapping and murdering Danielle. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.
Kemal said the three women first celebrated her move Jan. 25. Kemal and Easton, who lived in the same apartment complex, shared a bottle of wine before driving to the van Dams, Kemal testified. She said she smoked some marijuana in the van Dams' garage before they left for the bar.
The next week, the three women decided to spend that Friday night partying at Dad's again after Damon van Dam canceled plans to go out of town and agreed to stay home with the couple's three children.
On Feb. 1, they smoked pot in the garage a second time, Kemal testified, and she and Easton shared a beer. Later in the evening, they partied at Dad's, where they ran into Westerfield. At one point in the night, they went to van Dam's sport utility vehicle to smoke marijuana again.
Kemal said her supervisors learned that she had smoked pot because customers mailed newspaper articles about her testimony.
She had never had problems at Southwest before the trial, she said. In fact, she regularly received letters of commendation from airline passengers since she was hired in November 1998.
Once, a Texas couple she had met on a flight sent a box of candy to her home. Kemal, in turn, shipped them a set of candles for their living room.
Kemal said that even after Sept. 11, she didn't have any reservations about flying.
"I did it because it's my job, and I love my job," she said. "I get to travel and meet different people. I like to serve the public."
sw
LOLOLOL! FDA...you did not issue the obligaotry coke-spew alert!
You really have outdone yourself on this one. I sang the whole song!
sw
And did all of this on a street where there is a street light outside the VD home, and over to his own home, where by nosy Mrs. Kravitz's admission, there was a light on in the back, and per DW's admission to the cops, his porch light was on.
Notice, that the DA did not have a profiler on...
Feldman might call up the guy I just saw on CTV...:~)
sw
What are some of his reasonings, sw? thanks
"MITROCHONRIAL DNA is only from a hair without an attached root. NUCLEAR DNA is from BLOOD."
Excuse me, "without" an attached root...
That better.
MitDNA can still be from blood...that's what I said.
sw
He was also talking about the parents, his name is (Dr. Berrill). I won't quote what he said about the parents and the group they were involved with, but it wasn't favorable.
He did say that the just released comments by DW about "a good place to dump a body", shouldn't be used against DW...that he probably was just trying to be helpful.
The good Dr. Berrill appears to be a man who knows human nature :~)
sw
I don't recall hearing that neighbor but his statement was used in the affidavit.
Had a defense lawyer on just before Berill. Said Feldman and team have done an excellent job in holding back every point the prosecution had brought up. In California the jury is instructed that if there are two possible interpretations to a cirsumstance, evidence or fact in testimony, that the jury is to accept the one that exonerates the defendant.
This lawyer said that the defense would still have to counter the blood on the jacket and the visit to the dry cleaners, and once that is done, Westerfield should be cleared.
CTV hostess said other trials next week, so perhaps this is the last from CTV until the trial restarts?
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