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Charges Brought Over Lawyer's Halloween Stunt
By
WMTW.com
POSTED:
10:18 am EST November 15, 2006
PORTLAND,
Maine -- The Democratic lawyer who donned an Osama bin Laden costume -- complete
with toy assault rifle -- to make a political statement in South Portland on Halloween
is facing additional charges over the incident.
The
Cumberland County district attorney said Tom Connolly, of Scarborough, faces new
charges of terrorizing and reckless conduct, in addition to the original charge
of criminal threatening. All three charges are misdemeanors.
The
prosecutor, Stephanie Anderson, said, "Halloween or not, in this day and
age you do not get to dress as an international terrorist and wave what appears
to be an AK-47 at rush hour traffic."
Police
officers responding to calls from motorists on Interstate 295 found a man wearing
a white robe and carrying a fake assault rifle. Connolly said he was making a
political statement in opposition to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
Anderson
said Connolly is fortunate that he wasn't shot.
"It
created a situation where there could have been people seriously injured or killed
-- especially Mr. Connolly," she said.
Connolly
declined to comment on the new charges, but an attorney representing him released
a statement expressing disappointment with the district attorney's decision.
In
the statement, Daniel Knight said, "The only issue to be decided in a courtroom
is whether Tom's conduct was criminal or whether it was protected free speech."
Anderson
disagreed, saying, "You want to exercise your First Amendment right to protest
TABOR, you have an absolute right to do that, but not in that manner. That's not
protected speech."
Connolly's
court appearance has been scheduled for Dec. 19.
