From the Raleigh N&O:
District Attorney Mike Nifong plans to reinstate misdemeanor charges against a half-dozen Duke lacrosse players, saying a March 13 party where a woman reported a rape broke the deals that the players made with prosecutors.
Nifong’s decision could affect players who, before the party, had entered agreements in which prosecutors would dismiss the cases if the players performed community service and stayed out of trouble for six months or a year. Among the first to have his charges reinstated was David Evans, one of the team captains who lived at 610 N. Buchanan Blvd., the site of the party in which lacrosse players hired two women from escort services to dance. One of the women told police that she was raped by three men in a bathroom.
According to court records, 16 players were charged in the past three years with misdemeanor charges in Durham including noise violations, public urination and alcohol violations. The deals placed the men on probation for either six months or a year. They were to complete community service and in some cases were required to abide by the rules and regulations of the university. The deals required the men to pay fees and in some cases remain in school.
Nifong said he will reinstate the charges against players whose deferred prosecution deals are still active, unless they can show they were not at the party.
So, back to the old “guilty till proven innocent” model.
What exactly is Nifong attempting to do here? Is this normal activity, or just a way to boost his standing among the Duke Lacrosse haters for the election?
Double Update:
First, one of the two accused players is in even more trouble, this time for real bad doing
Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y., appeared in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday for a hearing in which a judge determined that he violated the conditions of a diversion program he entered after being charged in a Georgetown assault.
And, a NY PR firm refuses to represent the second exotic dancer aging stripper with children:
The chief executive officer of a New York public relations firm said his company will not be representing the second exotic dancer at a Duke men’s lacrosse team party on the night another dancer said she was gang-raped and beaten by three members of the team.
Ronn Torossian said 5W Public Relations would not be representing Kim Roberts on any sides in the lacrosse scandal, which has received nationwide attention in the media.
How does being at a party violate anything?
Unless there was a crime committeed and they had a hand in it, they violated nothing.
I hope someone starts investigating the personal life of Nifong and brings him down.
This guy is a a phony who is playing the race card and trying to make his bones at the expense of these players.
Well, legally, if it can be proven that they were at the party and drinking, the charges could be reinstated. I have seen that happen when I was attending ECU a ways back.
However, this looks more like petty retribution on other unsundry activities on the part of Nifong.