Posted on 03/31/2006 8:03:52 PM PST by Howlin
DURHAM, N.C. - The father of the woman who has accused members of the Duke lacrosse team of sexually assaulting her said he didn't find out that his daughter was the reported victim - and that she is an exotic dancer - until a reporter visited his house.
The retired trucker who lives in Durham said he saw his daughter the day after the reported attack, but she didn't say anything was wrong. She even left her car at the house for several days because he said she didn't want to drive it.
Her father, a quiet man who tinkers on cars as a hobby, said he saw news reports about the attack.
"I didn't know it was my daughter," he said. The Charlotte Observer generally does not name victims of sexual assault, so his name is being withheld to protect the identity of his daughter.
The case has ignited campus protests and stirred racial tension in Durham. The woman at the center of the case is black, and the men she accuses are white. She also is a student at N.C. Central University, a historically black college near Durham's inner-city, compared with the more expensive Duke campus.
DNA tests have been conducted on 46 of the lacrosse players, who deny the allegations. A 47th member, who is black, was not tested because the woman said her attackers were white.
Last week, a reporter stopped by the reported victim's house looking for her, the woman's father said, but he said he didn't know what was going on. He called his daughter and she said the district attorney told her not talk to anyone.
"(She) didn't tell us anything about it," he said.
He said he also found out through the media that his daughter, who is the youngest of three, was an exotic dancer.
"She always told me she was going to work," he said.
On Friday, he installed a timing belt in a car and watched his daughter's two children play outside the house. He said working on cars and playing with the grandchildren helps take his mind off what's happening with his daughter.
He said she seems to be doing "pretty good," and so is the rest of the family. He said they haven't talked much about the reported incident, but it weighs heavily on his mind. He said he's grateful that N.C. Central has been so supportive, but he doesn't like how his daughter has been portrayed in the media. And he's especially frustrated that no one has been charged in the connection with the allegations.
"If it had been anybody but them, they would have been locked up, but yet they didn't because it's Duke," he said. "I hope them boys - if they did it - I hope they get what they deserve. I hope they don't go lenient on them."
District Attorney Michael Nifong said he's waiting for results of the DNA test and that he does not expect to file charges in the case any earlier than next week.
The investigation into a possible rape involving members of Duke's lacrosse team took several turns Friday with questions about a 911 call and reports of harassing phone calls made to the team's coach.
Questions came from defense attorneys about the timing of a 911 call made from a woman who claimed she was near a house when a group of men yelled racial slurs at her and a friend on the same night a woman said she was raped at a house in Durham.
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Police say the 911 call in question was made nearly one hour after exotic dancers entered the home to perform for a group of lacrosse players. When police arrived at the scene two minutes later, the house was empty. About 25 minutes later, the alleged victim ended up at a Kroger store down the street.
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Neighbor Jason Bissey told WRAL in a recent interview he saw the two dancers leave the house and speed off in their car.
"About 3 minutes after they drove off, the party totally dispersed and the first unit from Durham police responded," Bissey said.
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Somewhere between midnight and 12:55 a.m., when officers arrived, the victim told police she'd been raped and beaten for 30 minutes inside the house.
About 25 minutes after that call at 1:22 in the morning, there was another call.
"The problem is there's a lady in someone else's car and she won't get out," the caller said.
A security guard at a grocery store says a woman named Kim pulled up and was worried about her friend.
Police arrived and stayed at the scene for six hours.
Police say the woman identified on the 911 call as Kim who drove the alleged victim to that Kroger was the second dancer at the house that night.
As for the first call to 911, police don't know who made that call.
Threats Made Against Duke Lacrosse Team
http://www.nbc17.com/education/8393654/detail.html
DURHAM, N.C. -- Police are investigating threats against the Duke University men's lacrosse team in the wake of rape allegations against team members.
Numerous telephone calls and e-mails to the university athletic office in recent days have threatened violence against the team, and authorities are looking into who made the calls and sent the messages to determine whether any criminal charges are warranted.
This whole story is starting to stink on ice.
PING.
This is sounding more and more like another case.
I think we'd better ping xs.
Big time.
Now the DA, who just happens to be up for reelection in May and decided to "try" the case himself rather than giving it to an assistant, says that no DNA doesn't prove there wasn't a rape -- and that maybe it wasn't any of the 43 boys who donated DNA, but could have been 3 OTHER boys who were at the party, (to be named at a later date, no doubt, since there's been NO mention of them before today).
And late tonight he said he'd be holding a press conference in TWO WEEKS to announce how he will be proceeding.
Perfectly normal behavior, isn't it? /s
The girl's own father didn't know his daughter was the alleged victim? The day after the alleged attack she acted fine? Police don't know who made the 1st call? Cell phone numbers aren't logged when someone calls 911 from them? Officers are looking into the emails and calls to the University (re: threats to the team members) to see if charges are warranted? Uh hello, isn't communicating threats still a crime in NC? Is it me or does this whole thing smell to high heaven?
Sounds a bit like Tawana Brawley. Better send in Al Sharpton to straighten it out.
Has this event spun so totally out of control that it's suddenly become Duke's version of Rocket Science? Why in the hell hasn't this story been taken care of "in house" by now? And by that remark, I'm not advocating exonerating potential criminals. I really want to know who was involved in this despicable act. Duke needs to wake up. They've become their own worst enemy.
If she retracts at any point, or runs out of accusees, or her story begins to logically unravel (like it already is...), she should spend AT LEAST as much time behind bars as her alleged victims would have had to spend if they were convicted.
Thanks for the ping....this is getting curiouser and curiouser.
The DA actually said that?
Not to worry, he already has an "Office" in Durham; he set it up during the 2004 primaries.
It's not Duke, believe me; they're all over the place, doing damage control.
It's the DA. He's been caught in some real whoppers.
Jim Rome was talking to Howard Feinstien about this today. Came down pretty hard on Duke, all but alleging a cover up, and said that the Duke President should force the players to cooperate. That they were all but admitting guilt by hiring attorneys.
He certainly did.
Turn on O'Reilly.
Tony Snow covers this right now!
Shades of Kobe's "alleged" victim.
They have cooperated; even offered to take lie detector tests, but the police told them that it wasn't necessary.
They all talked to the police within the first few days.
I just saw it ...
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