Ritter may have had an earlier arrest (Report suggests prior run-in with police)

MSNBC ^ | 6/21/03 | WNYT

[Steven W.]

ALBANY, NY, Jan. 21 - More details are emerging about the June 2001 arrest of former U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter of Delmar. He was apparently arrested by Colonie police as part of Internet sex sting. The Schenectady Daily Gazette reports Ritter was under investigation for a similar incident two months earlier. COLONIE POLICE CANNOT comment on whether or not they actually arrested Ritter -- whose full name is William Scott Ritter Jr. -- on charges he solicited an underage girl over the Internet. They say this is because if an arrest was made, it was sealed during court proceedings.

However, NewsChannel 13 reported in June 2001 about an arrest of a 39-year-old William Ritter of Delmar on charges he tried to lure a 16-year-old girl he met on the Internet to a Burger King in Menands. According to police, the intent of that meeting was so that she could watch him perform sexual acts on himself.

The underage girl turned out to be an undercover police officer posing online as a minor as part of a sting operation.

Ritter was charged with attempted endangerment of a child. The case was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal and was subsequently sealed.

Ritter's attorney, Norah Murphy, confirms her client was arrested in June 2001, but will not discuss the details of the case because the records have been sealed.

However, that might not have been Ritter's first brush with the law. According to the Albany Times Union, two months before that arrest, Ritter tried to meet a 14-year-old girl he chatted with online and was instead met by police officers. The newspaper reports that he was released without being charged.

The 41-year-old former Marine served as a weapons inspector in Iraq in the 1990s. He has been an outspoken critic of President Bush's plans for war against Iraq.

[Steven W.]

Ritter's attorney, Norah Murphy, confirms her client was arrested in June 2001, but will not discuss the details of the case because the records have been sealed.

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[bmwcyle]

Ritter is so far over his head, he can see light.

[harpseal]

I note that this arest correlates with his change of opinion on Saddam Hussein WMD program

[finnman69]

There is a video clip of the story on the page under the mug shot.

[TheDon]

I was gonna ask, when did Ritter flip?

[dhuffman@awod.com]

When did he 'flip'? Likely the first time he tried to perform a sex act with himself. He seem a bit portly to get 'that' there.

[Hoboken]

On CNN.com you'll find articles about Ritter in chronological order. It seem he starts getting weird in '98. About the time Saddam's son-in-law defected.

[harpseal]

Sometime shortly after WJC left office. this of course was 1991 and maybe it had something to do with the first arrest and someone having some information about him that he did not wish to become public. He really came back on the radar screen after September 11, 2001. I further note that the Bush administration did not bring this matter out when her first started defending Saddam's regime.

#What the exact story is we shall never know

[Quilla]

I see your source is MSNBC. Maybe this story will get legs with the mainstream after all. Thanks for the post.

[richardtavor]

When he left Iraq--he said Saddam still had WMD. The Inspectors were booted in 1998 and he started turning. Could it be that Iraq had some incriminating photos (you know, goat pictures) that they didn't use until all Inspectors were out? Could there be more inspectors that they have compromised? Past and present?

[SerpentDove]

>>Could there be more inspectors that they have compromised? Past and present?<<

That is an interesting thought, and unfortunately, likely.

[Jim Robinson]

Received the following email message from WNYT:

Subject: 
          Please remove an inaccurate post
    Date: 
          Tue, 21 Jan 2003 14:17:55 -0500
   From: 
          Paul Conti 
      To: 
          "'webmaster@freerepublic.com'" 




The post you have regarding our TV station is wrong.  The tape we
have is of the mug shot of William Scott Ritter on the day of his
arrest on June 22nd, 2002.  We are airing this tape and continue to
air it.  It is also on our web site.  We have no tape of him being
handcuffed.  If we did have it we would air it without question.  I
would appreciate a correction to the post regarding this or perhaps
you can just post this note.

Paul Conti 
News Director, WNYT .

[razorback-bert]

Hmmm, we are on the WNYT radar screen. I will dress up before I post from now on.

[Jim Robinson]

No more posting in your underwear. And comb your hair!

[ofMagog]

Knock it off. It is against the law in all states to pick on the mentally afflicted.

[razorback-bert]

I ain't mentally afflicted, I just drunk.

[TheDon]

"Sometime shortly after WJC left office. this of course was 1991"

2001?