Former astronaut Lisa Nowak wants a judge to let her remove the ankle bracelet that allows authorities to track her as she awaits trial on suspicion of attacking a romantic rival, calling it expensive and unnecessary.
Nowak is paying $105 a week — $2,940 so far — for the monitoring device as a condition of her release, according to a court filing that her attorney says was made Thursday. A clerk at the Circuit Court in Orange County could not find the filing, but said it could be on its way.
Nowak also argues that the device interferes with her ability to exercise — a requirement for a Navy officer — and her ability to drive, fly on a commercial airplane and monitor her children in the pool.
“The device is not small, comfortable, lightweight or unobtrusive, as its supplier would have one believe,” a copy of the filing provided by Nowak's lawyer says.
Nowak has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault. She is accused of attacking Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman in a parking lot at Orlando International Airport. Nowak told police she and Shipman were vying for the affection of former astronaut Bill Oefelein.
Kepler Funk, an attorney for Shipman, said he planned to fight the motion.
“Assuming the judge allows me to speak on the topic, I’m going to tell the judge that Ms. Shipman still has fear regarding Ms. Nowak,” Funk said.
In an interview with detectives, Nowak says she confronted Shipman because she wanted to know “where she stands” in the bizarre love triangle.
Nowak, 44, is accused of attacking Shipman with pepper spray and trying to jump into her vehicle. Police say Nowak was carrying a duffel bag with a steel mallet, 4-inch knife and a BB gun.
Nowak’s attorneys say the bracelet’s manufacturer has used her case for publicity, in violation of privacy rights. Without naming the company, the motion says its president “invited media to his office and specifically shared what his device could reveal about Lisa Nowak” in early May.
Nowak was dismissed from the astronaut corps a month after her arrest. Her trial is set for September. Oefelein was dismissed from the corps at the beginning of June.