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US ex-astronaut pleads guilty in love-triangle attack
Orlando, Florida (AFP) Nov 10, 2009 A former US astronaut who drove across the country to confront a suspected rival in a love triangle Tuesday pleaded guilty to minor charges, winning a two-day jail term, officials said. Under her plea deal, charges of assault and kidnapping were dropped against Lisa Nowak, 46, after she admitted burglary and battery. She was also sentenced to a year's probation, and 50 hours community service. The judge also told her to write a letter of apology to Colleen Shipman, an US Air Force captain whom Nowak believed was her rival for the affections of NASA shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein. Nowak, a mother of three, had initially been accused of pepper-spraying Shipman after driving 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) from Houston, Texas, to Orlando International Airport to confront her. With tears in her eyes, Shipman told the hearing she was sure "100 percent that Lisa Nowak came here to kill me. It was only by the grace of God, and some quick footwork, that saved my life. "It was in her eyes, a blood-chilling expression of unlimited rage and glee," Shipman added. Nowak, who allegedly wore adult diapers during her cross-country trip so she would not have to make bathroom breaks, was dismissed from the astronaut corps in 2007 after her arrest. The judge asked Nowak to publicly apologize to Shipman in the courtroom. "I am sincerely sorry for causing fear and misunderstanding and all of this intense public exposure that you have suffered," Nowak said. Nowak, who has flown aboard NASA's space shuttle Discovery, was told by the Florida court to write her apology within the next 10 days and to stay away from Shipman. The judge gave her credit for time served so she will not go to jail. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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