VERY off topic -- NASA astronaut charged with attempting to kidnap romantic rival ............................
2/6/2007 10:02 AM ET
NASA astronaut charged with attempting to kidnap romantic rival
Updated 2/6/2007 10:02 AM ET
By Mike Schneider, The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL — An astronaut charged with attempting to kidnap a romantic rival in a love triangle with another astronaut was ordered released on bail Tuesday under the condition that she not contact the alleged victim.
The judge told Lisa Marie Nowak, 43, she could be released on $15,500 bond, then asked if she understood the conditions. She responded, "yes."
Nowak, a married mother of three, stood in a jail uniform, usually facing down as the hearing was underway.
She faces charges including attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery.
Police said she drove 900 miles, donned a disguise and was armed with a BB gun and pepper spray when she confronted a woman she believed was a competitor for the affections of Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein.
Nowak and Oefelein, 41, were both first-time fliers during separate shuttle missions last year. They trained together but never flew together.
Nowak told police that her relationship with Oefelein, who is unmarried, was "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship," according to an arrest affidavit. Police officers recovered a love letter to Oefelein in her car.
Nowak believed a woman, Colleen Shipman, was romantically involved with Oefelein, authorities said. When Nowak found out that Shipman was flying to Orlando from Houston, Nowak decided to confront her early Monday, according to the arrest affidavit.
Nowak raced from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers in the car so she wouldn't have to stop to go to the bathroom, authorities said. Astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry.
Dressed in a wig and a trench coat, Nowak waited for Shipman's plane to land and then boarded the same airport shuttle bus Shipman took to get to her car, police said. Shipman told police she noticed someone following her, hurried inside the car and locked the doors, according to the arrest affidavit.
Nowak rapped on the window, tried to open the car door and asked for a ride. Shipman refused but rolled down the car window a few inches when Nowak started crying. Nowak then sprayed a chemical into Shipman's car, the affidavit said. Shipman drove to the parking lot booth, and the police were called.
An officer reported following Nowak and watching her throw away a bag containing the wig and BB gun. Police also found a steel mallet, a 4-inch folding knife, rubber tubing, $600 and garbage bags inside a bag Nowak was carrying when she was arrested, authorities said.
It was not immediately known whether Nowak had an attorney. Oefelein and Shipman, who the Houston Chronicle said worked at Patrick Air Force Base near the Kennedy Space Center, did not return phone messages Monday night.
Inside Nowak's vehicle, which was parked at a nearby motel, authorities uncovered a pepper spray package, an unused BB-gun cartridge, latex gloves and e-mails between Shipman and Oefelein.
They also found a letter "that indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein," an opened package for a buck knife, Shipman's home address and hand written directions to the address, the arrest affidavit said.
Police said Nowak told them that she only wanted to scare Shipman into talking to her about her relationship with Oefelein and didn't want to harm her physically.
"If you were just going to talk to someone, I don't know that you would need a wig, a trench coat, an air cartridge BB gun and pepper spray," said Sgt. Barbara Jones, a spokeswoman for the Orlando Police Department. "It's just really a very sad case."
NASA spokesman James Hartsfield in Houston said that, as of Monday, Nowak's status with the astronaut corps remained unchanged. "What will happen beyond that, I will not speculate," he said.
Hartsfield said he couldn't recall the last time an astronaut was arrested and said there were no rules against fraternizing among astronauts.
NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said a "high-ranking" military officer flew from Houston to Orlando on Monday to discuss the situation with NASA officials. Beutel would not comment on a relationship between Nowak and Oefelein.
According to NASA's official biography, Nowak is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who has a master's degree in aeronautical engineering. She has a teenage son and younger twin girls. She rode aboard Discovery in July. She is considered an expert shuttle robot arm operator and logged 13 days in space during a mission that launched on Independence Day.
Oefelein, 41 and the father of two, piloted Discovery on a 13-day International Space Station assembly flight in December. From window perches inside the shuttle and the station, he orchestrated four spacewalks during one of the most complex outpost construction missions to date. Nicknamed "Billy O," Oefelein, a U.S. Navy commander, came to NASA in 1998.
He studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University and later earned a master's degree in aviation systems at the University of Tennessee Space Institute. He received a commission as an ensign in the Navy in 1988 and became a naval aviator two years later. He attended the Navy's "Top Gun" fighter school and then became a test pilot instructor before he was selected to be an astronaut in 1998.
Eileen Hawley, a spokeswoman for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the wife of NASA astronaut Steve Hawley, said she can't recall another incident in which a U.S. space flier was arrested on felony charges.
"It's too early to speculate on what actions we'll take, but now her status with us is unchanged," she said.
"This is clearly going to be a very personal, tragic and unfortunate event, but we'll do what we can to help with her physical and emotional well-being. But that's about all we can do at this point."
Florida Today contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. |
