WASHINGTON — Moving swiftly, the Secret Service forced out three agents Wednesday in a prostitution scandal that has embarrassed President Barack Obama. A senior congressman welcomed the move to hold people responsible for the tawdry episode but warned “it’s not over.”
The 1996 Summer Olympics were about half over on July 27. Spectators, athletes and reporters were enjoying a night out and reviewing the days’ events, congregating on the 21-acre Centennial Olympic Park and listening to a free concert there. Sometime after midnight, a security guard noticed a suspicious bag and began to move people away from the area. The bomb squad was alerted. At 1:20 a.m., the largest pipe bomb in U.S. history exploded, showering the area with shrapnel. One woman was killed by the blast and a cameraman rushing to cover the explosion died of a heart attack. One hundred and eleven people were injured.
Given the bizarre and embarrassing nature of the incident, it made sense for a 30-year-old Westerville woman to plead guilty to criminal charges just less than two weeks after she was arrested for drunkenly spraying sheriff’s deputies with breast milk, her defense attorney said. Before a hearing Friday morning in Delaware County Municipal Court, attorney Brad Koffel explained to Stephanie Robinette the implications of pleading guilty to obstructing official business and assault on a family member, both misdemeanors.
I have no idea if Casey Anthony was responsible for the death of her daughter. Partly, that’s because I have, somewhat intentionally, avoided media coverage of her case. Partly, it’s because after 11 years of being involved in adult criminal and juvenile delinquent cases, I know that unless you’re intimately involved in the investigation, prosecution or defense of those cases, it’s nearly impossible to have a good, solid appreciation for the evidence.
NEW YORK — Dominique Strauss-Kahn formally asserted his innocence Monday to charges he tried to rape a hotel maid, but the drama unfolded outside the Manhattan courtroom as protesters jeered the former International Monetary Fund leader and lawyers for the housekeeper said she was eager to testify despite a “smear campaign” against her.