Lisa Nowak Avoids Jail in Plea Deal

Former astronaut Lisa Nowak avoided trial and possible jail time by pleading guilty to lesser charges in a plea agreement in connection with her 2007 attack on a romantic rival at an Orlando airport parking garage. Nowak was sentenced to one-year probation.

Nowak was originally charged with attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary of Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman's vehicle.

Before her sentencing, 46-year-old Nowak apologized to Shipman in open court.

"I am sincerely sorry to cause fear and misunderstanding and all of the intense public exposure ... I hope very much that we can move forward from this in privacy," Nowak said.

Confrontation in an Parking Garage

According to court records, Shipman was dating astronaut Bill Oefelein in 2007 and Nowak, a married mother of three, also had a romantic relationship with him. On Feb. 6, 2007, Nowak drove from Houston to Orlando to confront Shipman in an airport parking garage.

According to the arrest affidavit, Nowak boarded an airport bus that Shipman took to her car. She was wearing a wig and a trench coat. Shipman noticed someone following her and rushed to her car and locked the doors.

Nowak asked Shipman for a ride and started to cry when she refused. Shipman rolled down the window a few inches and Nowak sprayed pepper spray into her car. Shipman drove to the parking lot booth and called police.

Shipman: 'Don't Be Fooled'

"I'm 100 percent certain that Lisa Nowak came here to murder me," Shipman told the judge before he sentenced Nowak. Shipman asked the judge not to be fooled by Nowak's contrite demeanor.

She also described how the incident had affected her health, which caused her to lose her Air Force job. She said that she still suffers from nightmares, high blood pressure, chest pain and dizzy spells.

NASA fired Nowak and Oefelein after the incident. Nowak continues to work for the U.S. Navy in Texas.

Shipman and Oefelein were later married. They moved to Alaska and started a freelance writing and photography business, she said.

See Also:
Former NASA Astronaut Avoids Jail for Attack

Background:
The Lisa Nowak Case

Forum:
Discuss The Nowak Case

^{Photo: Mug Shot}