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| Tuesday, April 1 Woman called back to rebut defense witness' claim Associated Press |
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MINNEAPOLIS -- The woman who accused former Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett of dragging her into a restaurant bathroom and groping her denied Tuesday that she exposed her breasts to another man earlier that night. The prosecution called the woman back to the stand as a rebuttal witness to counter testimony Monday from defense witness Jon Bartelt. Bartelt said he met the woman and her friends for the first time the night of Sept. 5 at Redstone American Grill in suburban Eden Prairie. He said the conversation turned to how the woman had flashed someone. He said he didn't believe them, so the group formed a semicircle around her and she pulled down her shirt. "Did you in fact expose your breasts to Mr. Bartelt that night?" prosecutor Alan Harris asked her. "I did not," she replied. She testified she was wearing a white V-neck T-shirt that night and later tried it on for an investigator. She said she was unable then to pull it down far enough to expose herself. The shirt was shown to the jury. Defense attorney Christopher Madel complained that the defense didn't learn about the shirt or hear that she had tried it on for the investigator until this week. The woman testified last week that Puckett dragged her into the men's room at the Redstone just after midnight Sept. 6, forced her into a stall and grabbed her breast, bruising her breast, arm and ankle. Puckett is charged with false imprisonment, a felony; fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a gross misdemeanor; and fifth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Prosecutors say the stiffest sentence they would seek is no more than a year in jail if he's convicted on all counts. Puckett gave a vastly different account of the incident when he testified Monday, saying all he did was extend his arm to the woman, "like a gentleman," and escorted her into the men's room with her consent because there was a crowd outside the women's room. He denied dragging, assaulting or groping her, and said he did nothing that would have caused her bruises. Three friends of the woman were also called to rebut Bartelt's claims. They all said they did not recall seeing their friend flash anyone that night and did not recall anyone forming a semicircle around her. Asked if she had helped shield the woman, Jaime Lindgren testified she did not. "I would have been very embarrassed," she said. "That's just not appropriate." All three conceded they were not with the woman every moment that night. The defense called one rebuttal witness to back up Bartelt's story. Rohit Shirole testified he watched the flashing over Bartelt's shoulder. He said he saw the woman pull her shirt down and to one side, and that he glimpsed one of her breasts. Madel asked Rohit it he was sure it was the alleged victim. "Without a doubt," he replied. On Monday, Dr. Susan Roe, a forensic pathologist, testified the bruises on the woman's arm and ankle, which were shown in photographs taken Sept. 9, could have been caused four or five days earlier -- before the alleged assault. Roe also said the bruise on the woman's breast could have been caused by the action of pulling down her shirt. On Tuesday, Dr. Kathryn Berg, assistant chief medical examiner for Hennepin County, testified for the prosecution it was "very unlikely" that pulling down her shirt would have caused the bruise on the woman's breast. But she said the bruise could have been caused by the pressure of a finger. Berg said the bruise on the woman's arm could have been caused by a hard grasp and that the swelling and bruise on her ankle most likely came from a forceful injury rather than dancing. Roe had said the bruises didn't appear consistent with the woman's story. Berg conceded the bruises could have happened in many different ways. While the woman testified last week that she managed to escape from Puckett when one of her friends screamed her name into the bathroom, Puckett said she left unhindered after seeing a man in one stall and vomit on the floor of the other. A Redstone manager, Eric Jansen, testified Tuesday he hadn't heard of any vomit in the men's room that night. He said the restaurant's policy is to check the cleanliness of the restrooms frequently, but he didn't know if that was done that night. |
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