Free Republic

Raleigh — The man who once pursued rape, sexual assault and kidnapping charges against three former Duke lacrosse players who were later declared innocent by North Carolina's attorney general says he will resign. (Watch Mike Nifong's announcement.) "My community has suffered enough," a tearful Mike Nifong said Friday during his testimony at his State Bar ethics trial to the surprise of the families and defense attorneys of the cleared lacrosse players, as well as others in the courtroom. "Throughout the years I have served as a prosecutor I have always tried to do the right thing," a tearful Mike Nifong...

Mike Nifong is trying to reassure voters that he's the man for the job a day after a potential challenger said he won't pursue the district attorney job. Nifong admitted Friday that there's some justification to criticism about how he handled the media with the Duke case. "My handling of the media coverage of this case has occasioned substantial criticism, some of which is undoubtedly justified," Nifong said during a half-hour press conference. "I both underestimated the level of media attention this case would draw and misjudged the effect that my words would have.

A second exotic dancer who performed at a March 13 Duke University lacrosse team party where a woman says she was raped and assaulted by three athletes made an obscene gesture at a television camera during court proceedings on Tuesday. When Kim Roberts noticed WRAL's camera in the courtroom, she made the gesture and then stuck out her tongue.