Lisa Nowak.

Ex astronaut-Lisa Nowak after pleading guilty to charges related to a strange attack on her rival in a love triangle, Coleen Shipman, seen in background. (Red Huber / AP Photo)

By Frank James

Here's a story some of us had nearly forgotten about. The former astronaut who drove from Texas to Florida to allegedly kidnap her rival in a love triangle was given a year's probation on Tuesday after agreeing to plead guilty to lesser charges in order to avoid felony counts.

As NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reported for the network's newscast:

Lisa Nowak was a NASA astronaut who had flown on the space shuttle just months before she made news for a different reason in February of 2007.
That's when police said she drove from Houston to the Orlando International Airport and, wearing a disguise, confronted Colleen Shipman, a woman who was dating another NASA astronaut, William Oefelein.
Nowak faced serious charges including attempted kidnapping, and was scheduled to go on trial next month. But under a plea bargain agreement, Nowak entered a plea of guilty to burglary of a car and misdemeanor battery.
She was sentenced to two days in jail, which she has already served, and one year of probation. She was also told to write a letter of apology to Shipman, who told the court that she believes Nowak was going to kill her.

Given Nowak was the butt of late-night television comedians and was also kicked out of the elite astronaut corps, she arguably has paid her debt to society.

categories: Crime

5:04 - November 10, 2009

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