Lawyer: Ex-Astronaut Didn't Wear Diaper
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Former astronaut Lisa Nowakdidn't wear diapers during her 950-mile road trip to confront a romantic rival,her lawyer said Friday, disputing one of the more bizarre details to emergefrom the NASA love triangle.
?Thebiggest lie in this preposterous tale that has been told is that my clientdrove from Houston, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, nonstop, wearing a diaper,''Donald Lykkebak said after filing motions to suppress evidence in Nowak's criminalcase. ?That is an absolute fabrication.''
The tidbitthat Nowak wore diapers during her trip was written in the police report filedafter Nowak's arrest in February.
?I thenasked Mrs. Nowak why she had baby diapers,'' according to the chargingaffidavit written by Officer William ?Chris'' Becton. ?Mrs. Nowak said that shedidn't want to stop and use the restroom, so she used the diapers to collecther urine.''
There weretoddler-size diapers in her car when she was arrested, but they were severalyears old, Lykkebak said. Nowak and her family had used them when Houston was evacuated in 2005 during Hurricane Rita, he said.
The diaperdetail became fodder for late-night TV comics and talk radio and even inspiredan episode of the NBC show ?Law & Order.''
?Itjeopardizes our ability to have a fair trial when the accused is the butt ofjokes,'' Lykkebak said.
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Lykkebakdidn't say why he waited until now to dispute the police report.
An Orlando police spokeswoman, Sgt. Barb Jones, said she couldn't comment about the casespecifically. She said a court would determine the accuracy of the facts.
Nowak, 44,was charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault in aconfrontation at Orlando International Airport with Colleen Shipman, thegirlfriend of former astronaut Bill Oefelein. Oefelein told detectives he had atwo-year relationship with Nowak but ended it some time after he started arelationship with Shipman.
Nowak haspleaded not guilty and her trial is set for September. She was dismissed fromthe astronaut corps a month after her arrest.
Oefeleinwas dismissed from the corps at the beginning of June.
Lykkebakfiled a motion asking a judge to prevent statements that Nowak made to policefrom being entered into evidence, claiming she had not been properly advised ofher constitutional rights.
He alsoasked that evidence found in her car not be allowed to be introduced in court,saying it was seized without a search warrant. Police officers recovered mapsto Shipman's home, large garbage bags, latex gloves and Shipman's flightinformation.
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