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Testimony costs flight attendant her job
SignOnSanDiego ^ | July 12, 2002 | Kristen Green

Posted on 07/12/2002 7:06:01 AM PDT by MizSterious

Testimony costs flight attendant her job

Airline fires witness for admitting pot use

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."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: 180frank; danielle; denisekemal; kidnap; michaeldobbs; vandam; westerfield
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To: MizSterious
Good find. If DW gets convicted, we won't forget...

sw

561 posted on 07/12/2002 5:23:46 PM PDT by spectre
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To: connectthedots
Not sure if I pinged you on this or not--see #549 on this thread.
562 posted on 07/12/2002 5:25:12 PM PDT by MizSterious
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To: MizSterious
Has this ever happened?
563 posted on 07/12/2002 5:26:01 PM PDT by Krodg
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To: RnMomof7; everyone
I'm tellin' ya, folks, that group cannot *think* past a minute. And it's coming back to bite them......BIG TIME. I think we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg here.
564 posted on 07/12/2002 5:26:12 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: spectre; John Jamieson; All
No, we won't, and I doubt his b-i-l will either. If the van Dams railroaded this guy, I hope they both fry. If. I hope it is made clear by the trial's end.
565 posted on 07/12/2002 5:27:31 PM PDT by MizSterious
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To: Krodg
"Has this ever happened?"


Would be nice to find out, wouldn't it?


566 posted on 07/12/2002 5:27:58 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: Krodg
I don't know if it's ever happened, but the law is sure on the books.
567 posted on 07/12/2002 5:28:21 PM PDT by MizSterious
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To: MizSterious
"I don't know if it's ever happened, but the law is sure on the books."


It sure is and a Kalifornia law, to boot.


568 posted on 07/12/2002 5:31:49 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: All
Off Topic

Thought you guys might want to read this article about a "possible" Elizabeth Smart sighting.

http://www.journalstar.com/local.php?story_id=11416
569 posted on 07/12/2002 5:33:54 PM PDT by JudyB1938
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To: BARLF
PING for info in post #544 due to your inquiry re: dog search.
570 posted on 07/12/2002 5:34:38 PM PDT by cyncooper
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To: spectre
"Good find. If DW gets convicted, we won't forget..."

AMEN! We will be sure of that!

571 posted on 07/12/2002 5:34:48 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: spectre
I've been reading the transcript, and I'd like a little advice on what to look for.
I am asking nicely, with no ulterior motive.
Could you remind me of the lies that BVD told on the witness stand?
572 posted on 07/12/2002 5:37:58 PM PDT by EllaMinnow
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To: JudyB1938
""possible" Elizabeth Smart sighting."


Thanks for the link..I read it and don't know what to make of it. Except where are they going with her? (If it was Elizabeth.) For over a month, they've only gotten to NE?
With a description of the van & license plate #, they shouldn't be hard to find.

And the best the service station attendants could say was, "weird"?

573 posted on 07/12/2002 5:40:39 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: the Deejay
Well, at least they had sense enough to inform the police, huh?
574 posted on 07/12/2002 5:42:31 PM PDT by JudyB1938
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To: JudyB1938
True. I do give them credit for that.
575 posted on 07/12/2002 5:43:04 PM PDT by the Deejay
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To: MizSterious
Am I on your ping list?
576 posted on 07/12/2002 5:43:13 PM PDT by JudyB1938
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To: JudyB1938
Probably not--my ping list is pretty old, mainly because I don't use it that much these days. Some days I'd just as soon not read the threads here at all, depending on the threadjackal activity.
577 posted on 07/12/2002 5:45:19 PM PDT by MizSterious
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To: RnMomof7
LOL that would have been funny but stingy geocities won't let you link to pics..
578 posted on 07/12/2002 5:45:44 PM PDT by Freedom2specul8
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To: cyncooper
Mind you, I look at dogs as tools and not proof. But even on 2/4, the comforters had been removed and DW had engaged in self-admitted cleaning.

This extensive cleaning that left the hairs of other people but vacuumed up all of hers, that were not found in the vacuum cleaner.

The fresh blood of the murder was on the floor, the fibers of whatever her body had been wrapped around, the prints of unidentified people were still there so cleaning was really effective.

So did the wind whip thru the storage compartments on the 25 mile trip frm Dehesa to the storage place..or was her dead body in the MH until 2/4 and his "extensive cleaning" got rid of the urine/fecal matter from death and the blood of the rape with no smell of cleaning fluids?

The dry cleaner comforters that cleaned away all of her trace but left the short and long black hairs, brown, white and blonde hairs.

He is one heck of a selective cleaner.

579 posted on 07/12/2002 5:45:58 PM PDT by Rheo
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To: MizSterious
Perjury is very difficult to prove and the only crime which has a higher standard/requirements for proof is the crime of treason. Even in this case, it might be very difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt all the elements of perjury aainst BvD. The 'knowingly' element would be the most difficult in this case.
580 posted on 07/12/2002 5:46:15 PM PDT by connectthedots
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