Al Gore Sexual Harassment Charges Dropped

Portland authorities signaled on Friday that they will no longer continue to investigate charges made against former Vice President Al Gore stemming from allegations he groped a licensed massage therapist in 2006. Local television station KOIN reports: The complaining witness, Molly Hagerty, stated that she was sexually abused during a massage session at the Hotel Lucia when Gore was in Portland. Hagerty failed a polygraph test during the course of the investigation, and there was no DNA evidence on the pants she claimed she wore during the alleged incident, according to investigators. Gore has vehemently denied the charges of sexual misconduct that recently came to light when the Portland Police Bureau signaled it was opening an investigation into the case. After news broke that the probe would be dropped, Gore spokesman Kalee Kreider said in a statement: "Mr. Gore unequivocally and emphatically denied this accusation when he first learned of its existence three years ago. He respects and appreciates the thorough and professional work of the Portland authorities and is pleased that this matter has now been put to rest."

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com August 2010

Charges Dropped Against Man Accused of Burning Down Own Home

BELL CITY, MO (KFVS) - Prosecutors dropped charges against a Bell City man accused of burning down his own home. The home burned in May 2009. At the time, Billy Arnold and his family were on a camping trip. However, an investigation sparked accusations that Arnold set the fire and collected insurance money. He faced arson and stealing charges and spent 118 days in jail. The state crime lab revealed the fire was not intentionally set. Arnold also passed a polygraph test.

Source: http://www.kfvs12.com July 2010

Lawyer for Stephen Nodine says Urine & Polygraph Tests Show No Marijuana Use

MOBILE, Ala. -- Mobile County Commissioner Stephen Nodine passed a urine test earlier this month, proving that he did not have marijuana in his system, the commissioner's lawyer, Matt Green, said Wednesday. The doctor signed an affidavit stating that Nodine gave a urine sample for drug testing that day. "I feel fairly confident that he was clean and that he hadn't smoked anything," Green said. Marijuana was found Dec. 23 in Nodine's county-issued truck after he brought the vehicle into a county garage for maintenance and an oil change. He has denied that the substance belonged to him. Nodine also took a polygraph test in Daphne, according to Green. Nodine truthfully answered three questions relating to marijuana being found in his county-issued pickup truck, the lawyer said. Green said Nodine decided to take a urine test because Mobile County policy requires employees to do the same under similar circumstances. Green said: "I think that people wanted to know if he's innocent and people wanted to know if he took a drug test. I think his supporters needed to hear the truth about this."

Source: http://www.al.com June 2010

State Drops Sex Crimes Case

The state has dropped its sex crimes case against Daniel Joseph O'Brien, an Athena man police arrested in June. The state had accused O'Brien, 45, of raping his daughter between Oct. 15 and Oct. 30, 2008. She was younger than 16 years old at the time. Athena police arrested O'Brien on June 18 at a Pendleton hotel where he was living after moving out of his home. Umatilla County District Attorney Dean Gushwa said a grand jury indicted O'Brien, but detectives with the Oregon State Police and Umatilla County Sheriff's Office continued to investigate the case. They found evidence that cleared O'Brien, Gushwa said, particularly in conflicting witness statements prosecutors didn't have at the time of the grand jury. "Thank God we didn't prosecute a guy who didn't have it coming," he said. Gushwa explained he has an ethical duty to only bring cases a jury could deliver a guilty verdict on. He said his office is very careful in bringing charges of this nature, and this was one of the few times he has seen this kind of situation. The East Oregonian couldn't reach O'Brien, who had worked at Albertson's and Wendy's in Pendleton. One of his attorneys, James McIntyre of Portland, however, discussed the case. "Dan is innocent," McIntyre said. He also praised the district attorney's office for dismissing the case. McIntyre said there were plenty of people who vouched for O'Brien and the defense investigation presented evidence, including results of a polygraph that O'Brien passed, to attest he didn't do it. Neither Gushwa nor McIntyre would discuss what prompted the case. O'Brien was going though a divorce, and there were reports a male relative had moved into the home before O'Brien moved into the hotel room. "You can imagine how horrible and devastating this can be for anyone," McIntyre said. "He went through a bunch of hell."

Source: http://eastoregonian.com

Navy SEAL McCabe Passes Polygraph

One of three Navy SEALs facing a court martial announced at a rally Saturday that he has passed a polygraph test, casting doubt on the Pentagon's case against him. In Scottsdale, Ariz., over 130 people rallied in support of the three Navy SEALs facing courts martial after capturing one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq, Ahmed Hashim Abed, mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater security guards in Fallujah in 2004. Navy SEALs Julio Huertas, Jonathan Keefe and Matthew McCabe are accused of punching Abed after capturing him. At the rally, Operations Petty Officer 2nd Class McCabe (who faces three charges) said that he successfully passed a professional polygraph in which he was asked if he punched Abed and or lied about it. Rep. John Shadegg (R.-Ariz.) who attended and spoke at the rally, told HUMAN EVENTS that "while the lie detector test results won't likely be admissible in a court of law and their jury will never know that he passed, it is nonetheless important for the American public to know." "A lot of people have been accusing these guys of lying about it, so having him pass the polygraph was an instrumental step in his case and his word of anything," said Graham Ware, who has garnered a great deal of awareness and support by creating the Facebook page, "Americans United AGAINST The Prosecution of 3 NAVY SEALs" with over 264,000 members, as well as helping to organize fundraising events.

Source: http://www.humanevents.com April 2010

Stengel Won't Pursue Allegations Against Pitino

Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel says that Karen Sypher's allegations against University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino are "void of credibility" and lack "any supporting evidence. Stengel's office issued a statement Wednesday saying it decided to take no action after reviewing a videotaped complaint Sypher made last week to the sex offenses unit of the Louisville Metro Police Department. Steve Pence, Pitino's lawyer, said Stengel "reaffirmed what we said all along." After Sypher filed her complaint, 'Pence said her claims were "false and just another part of the fraud she has tried to perpetuate against" the coach and his family. A former model and the estranged wife of Pitino's equipment manager and assistant, Sypher, 49, was indicted in May on charges of extortion for allegedly having someone call Pitino in February and threaten to go public with allegations of "a criminal nature" against him. An FBI agent said in a complaint that Sypher's allegations concerned Pitino's interactions with her in 2003, but the agent said her claims were not being detailed in the complaint because they were "suspect." After Stengel's announcement Wednesday, Sypher read a statement to Louisville television stations saying: "My family and I continue to stand strong together knowing I am still the victim. I remain constant in fighting for my truth to be told and for my children to know that the justice system does not work just for the rich and powerful, but also for the common citizen." In a statement on Monday, Pence said "Pitino had been interviewed by Louisville police and was cooperating with their investigation. Pence also said Pitino passed an independent polygraph examination "refuting" Sypher's allegations.

Source: www.courier-journal.com March 2010

Polygraph Unbeatable, Says California
Psychologist.

Woodland Hills, CA, /PRNewswire/ -- "Almost no human being can beat a polygraph test," says Dr. Louis Rovner, a noted psychologist and polygraph expert in California. In fact, lie detection technology has become so sophisticated that a polygraph can now detect a person's efforts to try to beat the test.

In a recent Deputy Sheriff Magazine article, Dr. Rovner writes that there are several books and pamphlets available on the Internet which claim to teach people how to beat a polygraph test. None of these, he says, can do what they claim.

Dr. Rovner feels that the idea of beating a polygraph test after reading a short book is absurd. "This is about the same as saying that you will be able to perform a Beethoven Piano Concerto at Carnegie Hall by simply reading a book about piano playing." The interplay between the sophisticated technology of the polygraph, the experience of the examiner, and the involuntary physiological reactions of the subject is so complex that almost no one can look truthful on the polygraph when he is actually lying.

"Beating the polygraph," says Rovner, "is impossible for most people." The polygraph is a scientific instrument which records physiological changes in our bodies. Polygraph examiners are trained to look for subtle abnormalities in these changes as a person answers a series of questions. The changes are involuntary reactions that occur in our bodies when we are not being truthful. "In order to beat the test," he says, "a person must use his central nervous system to override the involuntary activity of the autonomic nervous system, and he must do it on cue." Given the anxiety of a typically polygraph subject, it is extremely unlikely that anyone could successfully fool the polygraph.

Scientific research into polygraph accuracy has been going on for more than 40 years. "Overall," says Dr. Rovner, "we are confident that polygraph tests have a 96% accuracy rate when done properly." That statement is backed up by hundreds of research studies and experiments. Rovner's own published research shows that people cannot beat a polygraph test simply by reading about it.

Source: Rovner & Associates