*Now that I follow several members of the astronaut corps on Twitter, this scandal surprises me less. Come on, ladies and gentlemen, we're all mortal.
*I wouldn't post this if I hadn't posted it earlier on the blog here. A sad, very human story, and I'm pleased that none of the major characters are dead or in prison.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/florida.astronaut.trial/
Orlando, Florida (CNN) – A former astronaut who was accused of assaulting a romantic rival in the parking lot of the Orlando airport will avoid prison after pleading guilty to lesser charges as part of a plea agreement.
Citing Lisa Marie Nowak's lack of a criminal history, Orange County Circuit Judge Marc Lubet sentenced her to a year of probation. She was given credit for the two days she served in the county jail after her arrest.
Nowak, 46, must also perform 50 hours of community service and have no contact with the victim in the case, former Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman.
She must also send Shipman a letter of apology within 10 days, "a sincere letter of apology, not one of these vanilla things that I see from other defendants," Lubet told Nowak. "It's been almost three years since the events took place that caused this nightmare for Ms. Shipman, and you are 100 percent responsible." (((This is one of those situations that could have been defused by a few heartfelt letters in the first place. But if people had it together to do such things, there would be no such thing as a romance novel.))
In addition, Nowak must complete an eight-hour anger management course within her first 30 days of probation, Lubet said. Nowak told the judge she had undergone counseling for 1½ years and the counseling is complete, so the judge said he would not order more.
Lubet said he was treating Nowak as any defendant would be treated, saying he doubts any judge would send a defendant to prison on a first offense.
Shipman delivered an emotional victim statement before Nowak's sentencing, telling the court she remains convinced Nowak planned to kill her.
"Shortly after I turned 30 years old, Lisa Nowak hunted me down and attacked me in a dark parking lot," she said, adding that she is "still reeling from her vicious attack" and attempting to piece her life back together.
"The world as I knew it before Lisa Nowak is gone," Shipman said. "Every stranger I see is a potential attacker. Going out in public is exhausting." She said she has undergone nearly three years of counseling, but suffers from nightmares, anxiety and health problems such as high blood pressure and chest pains because of the incident. (((Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" suffered from narcotic overdose and self-inflicted knife wounds.)))
Nowak initially was charged with attempted kidnapping with intent to inflict bodily harm, battery and burglary of a vehicle using a weapon. If convicted, she could have faced a sentence of up to life in prison.
Prosecutors accused Nowak of driving nearly 900 miles from Houston, Texas, to Orlando – wearing NASA diapers to cut down on the number of stops she needed to make – and donning a disguise before following Shipman from the airport's baggage claim to the parking lot in February 2007. Nowak's attorney, Don Lykkebak, has denied that she wore the diapers.
Nowak has said she went to the airport to talk to Shipman, who had begun dating Nowak's former love interest, Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein. (((I wonder what unreported psychosomatic traumas afflict this guy.)))
But Shipman, in her comments Tuesday, called that claim "at best, ridiculous," saying that Nowak, whom she did not know, had ample opportunity to talk to her, as she "stealthily followed me for hours."
"I'm a very friendly person, your honor," Shipman said, adding that she would have welcomed Nowak's company "over some hot chocolate, while I was waiting for my suitcase to arrive."
She recounted the incident and her terror as she realized Nowak was following her in the dark parking lot, as she could hear the swishing of Nowak's pants as she walked....
