|
The first of 12 runners cited for streaking on the Pearl Street Mall on Halloween night wearing nothing but pumpkins on their heads has accepted a plea agreement that prosecutors said would likely be offered to the others. Natalie Ziemba, 20, of Boulder agreed Thursday to plead guilty to disorderly conduct, a petty offense. She agreed to undergo six months of unsupervised probation, eight hours of community service and pay $27 in court fees. She will not be required to register as a sex offender, and her record will be cleared if she doesn’t commit any crimes for at least six months. In a light-hearted moment, a prosecutor joked with Ziemba that a condition of her probation would also include “no contact with fruits or vegetables.” “This was very uncharacteristic of me,” Ziemba told Boulder County Judge Thomas J.B. Reed. Ziemba, a docent at the Fiske Planetarium and a junior at the University of Colorado majoring in women’s studies, attended court with her parents. None of them wanted to comment about the case, but Ziemba’s attorney, former Boulder Municipal Judge Sheila Carrigan, said the plea agreement was the best option for her client. “This is certainly the maximum that makes sense,” Carrigan said, although she said she questions the original misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure. “The prosecution and the attention of the so-called naked-pumpkin runners is something I wonder about spending our resources on,” Carrigan told the judge. Prosecutor David Chavel has been assigned all of the naked runners’ cases.
He said the agreement with Ziemba would likely represent the same offer extended to all of the accused Halloween streakers. However, he said it would be “up to each individual” to accept such an offer. All of the cases are being handled separately, Chavel said, because some of the runners have attorneys and others do not. He said the remaining cases involving the naked runners are in negotiations with the Boulder District Attorney’s Office. Ten of the 12 people ticketed in the Halloween run had courts dates Wednesday, but none showed up. Chavel said the remaining cases involving the naked runners are in negotiations with the Boulder District Attorney’s Office, and two of the ticketed runners have a Jan. 12 court date. Police have warned runners in the past that the activity isn’t legal, but this year was the first time officers showed up en masse to enforce the law. Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner has previously said indecent exposure was the charge that best fit the violation. On Thursday, Boulder police issued a written statement about the plea agreement. “The decision was made by the District Attorney’s Office, which consulted with the department. Chief Mark Beckner believes this is an appropriate disposition. As for future violations, Boulder officers will continue to issue citations or make arrests based on the law as it is written. It is — and will remain — the province of the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether other charges are possible.”{sharethis} Last update: 18-12-2008 20:22
|
