Scott Ritter Speaks Out On 2001 Arrest - Offers his first public comments on controversy

WNYT-TV, Albany ^ | January 22, 2003

[Shermy]

ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 22 - Until now, former U.N. weapon's inspector Scott Ritter has declined to speak about allegations he was arrested in an Internet sex sting 19 months ago. However, NewsChannel 13 reached Ritter by phone Wednesday and for the first time he discussed the arrest and the sealed court documents.

...snip...

"The case was dismissed. Therefore it never happened," Ritter said Wednesday.

"I stood in a court of law, before a judge and an assistant district attorney, and they dismissed it," he added.

But the court of public opinion has a different view. The story of Ritter's arrest and the subsequent dismissal of his case first broke over the weekend and dominated headlines in the days that followed.

"I am deeply saddened [by all of the media attention]. Not by anything I've done though."

Ritter refused to speak to NewsChannel 13 on camera. When offered the chance to tell his side of the story on television, he replied, "I'm saying it now."

...snip...

[OldFriend]

If Ritter wanted to suggest he was set up he would have said so!

[ErnBatavia]

What an arrogant, sleazebag Clymer A-Hole! He continues to be "in your face"......for the time being.

He's 41, and this sort of behavior likely did not happen just the two times he was busted. He'll do it again. I hope his mommy and daddy, wife and chirrens are proud of him.

[The Great Satan]

Iraq doesn't have the Intelligence "reach" to trap a former weapons inspector in the U.S.,

Iraq had the "reach" to flatten the two tallest buildings in New York City and smash a jet airliner into the Pentagon on September 11. It has the "reach" to blackmail the US from retaliating using the threat of mass slaughter of US civilians using weaponized anthrax. You are sadly misinformed in your understanding of Iraq's"reach."

[Dog]

Agreed Scotts career as a talking head is over....this guy is radioactive now....whould you want to be the news producer who allows Scott airtime......knowing this story is out there..

Someone in the talking head class will be making their bones off the back of Scottie the pedophile story...

[Political Junkie Too]

I could have been clearer in my original post.

-PJ

[Taffini]

I want to talk to his first wife

[Southack]

"Who says that the Iraqis trapped him here? He spent quite a bit of time in Iraq and could have easily been caught on video or film while he was there."

Pay attention.

Ritter was caught. We already KNOW this. We don't have to guess about where or when. He was caught in Albany, New York (i.e. in the U.S.).

[Deb]

Well, I'd like to yank...I mean, thank all the little people, anyway.

[The Great Satan]

Ritter was caught. We already KNOW this.

And all this happened a least a year after he started accepting all-expenses paid trips to Baghdad to make propaganda videos for Uncle Soddom. You're the one who isn't paying attention.

[evad]

The case was dismissed. Therefore it never happened," Ritter said Wednesday.

Man..I'd really like to see the psych profile on this character.

Only someone totally delusional would think that a case dismissed has any relevance to whether or not something happened.

He'd probably make a good weapons inspector.

[JameRetief]

We all already know that he was caught here. The questions about a foreign country trapping him is whether or not he has been caught by them at other times and it is these incidents that could be (and may have been) used to blackmail him.

[YaYa123]

thanks for Crier's email address. I used it.

[Dante3]

Nearly all of the translators during the Soviet era were spies, no question about that. Thus, Marina might well have been trained as a spy.

Did Ritter leave his wife for her? If he did, then the probability (purely statistical) that he also is a spy is relatively high, according to a British study.

[Jonathon Spectre]

"The case was dismissed. Therefore it never happened," Ritter said Wednesday.

Ah, but you know what did happen, Scott? You tried to meet a middle-school student so she could watch you whack off. Then, after you got caught doing that, you just couldn't help yourself and had to go back for more... more undercover cop that is!

This is one of the best stories ever and could not have happened to a filthier rectum-wipe.

[CyberAnt]

The only "criteria" I can think of is juvenile laws. Under 18 arrests can petition the court - but it still depends on what you did, and if you're still involved in criminal activity.

My son had his record expunged at 18 (crime occurred when he was 14). However, he was no longer involved in any kind of criminal activity.

[savedbygrace]

And we'd like to offer you this lovely parting gift.

[SauronOfMordor]

Sounds like the records were sealed and Ritter was put on probation. He went through probation w/o repeating the offense (at least not that we or the court knows of) and the case/records were later espunged, ie, as if it never happend.

I'm no lawyer, but it seems that's what happened or something similar. Similar scenarios are often accorded to first-time offender with no previous records. But Ritter is known to have committed this offense twice. So....

If the second offense happened after the records of the first offense were expunged, then the court would not have found out about the first offense, and would have treated the new offense as a "first offense"

[RepublicanHippy]

Excuse my stupidity, but didn't Catherine Crier used to work for Fox News? I thought she was a conservative from Texas.