Eric Rudolph Defense Disputes Claim He Planned to Flee After Bombing

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBB1MCWK3E.html

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Hoping to nullify a search warrant, Eric Rudolph's attorneys are disputing the government's claim that he planned to turn fugitive after a 1998 Alabama abortion clinic bombing. snip

Besides the clinic bombing, which killed a policeman and critically injured a nurse, Rudolph is charged with setting bombs that killed a woman at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and two more in Atlanta in 1997.

Arrested near a grocery store trash bin in Murphy, N.C., Rudolph had at least two campsites in the mountains and had stockpiled food and other supplies in apparent preparation for disappearing into the wilderness, according to authorities.

Prosecutors have suggested that Rudolph fled into the woods after learning that police were after him because a witness saw his pickup truck in Birmingham after the clinic bombing.

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[MisterP]

1. I recall a N.C.? prison guard saying they were praying for him

[rucky]

6. Oh yes. Entire towns were helping harbor him.

In 1999, I interviewed a bounty hunter who was tracking him by mountain bike. Hellova story.

[Just Me]

10. They were harboring a real-life "terrorist"!!!

Politically-inspired violence against innocent people = "terrorism".

I wonder why those who harbored him aren't charged with crimes.

[rucky]

11. Silly rabbit, terrorism is for brown people!

:extreme sarcasm:

[Ms_Mary]

13. NO! They were not!

Trust me. I live there. We were massively pissed about the media coverage we recieved during the Rudolph hunt. My blood pressure sky rocketed watching the news. This county has a total population of about 30,000. The town here has 3,000 and the media spent a lot of time interviewing people. The problem is, they interviewed crazy assholes who didn't actually live here, were new to the area or were generally known as idiots. I knew a couple of guys who faked support to get on TV - really, I wanted to smack them.

There were a lot of people pissed off by the FBI's attitude. They thought it was funny that all those agents and all their fancy equipment couldn't catch one guy. Hence the Run, Rudolph Run gear. It wasn't a genuine showing of support.

There were a lot of people who didn't know whether he did it or not. A lot of people who knew him had no idea he was into that stuff. My DH's family knew him growing up. My SIL dated him in high school. They thought he was just a nice guy. The story was a real shock. And, he wasn't actually from here. He's from Florida. He wasn't one of the good old boys.

Prior to that time, we had a promininet white supremecist named Nord Davis move into the area. A lot of people from all over followed him here. They WERE NOT LOCALS. They thought that they'd be more secretive hiding in the mountains Thankfully, he died and scrutiny from the FBI resulted in most of them leaving.

There may have been a couple of freaks out there who helped him out, but not entire towns! Just ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH.

[Ms_Mary]

14. Were you here?

[underpants]

2. ERIC RUDOLPH NEWS!ERIC RUDOLPH NEWS!

He fled after the Atlanta bombing because he was HOT and because it could possibly expose his right wing conservative christian funding and backup.

[Jamastiene]

4. There was a preacher in western NC,

who said his church would be glad to hide him in the church basement. Also, some nutty people wrote a "folk hero" song about him. Made me sick to know what kind of people live in the same state with me. I wish I wasn't from this area or that I was about 1,000 miles from this area. Not sure which would be better. A thousand miles away, definitely.

[underpants]

5. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[Ms_Mary]

15. yeah, he was a FREAK. And FWIW, preachers are a dime a dozen here.

[PartyPooper]

3. Eric Rudolph belongs in prison forever alongside folks just like him.

Don't make me mention names. I'm sure you can figure that out quite easily for yourself.

:eyes:

[jman0]

7. "Arrested near a grocery store trash bin.."

What point in saying "trash bin"?
Doesn't seem relevant. I suspect it's to disrespect the accused, invite the reader to think the accused is worthless, dirty, less than human.
While some people may agree with that, I think it's an example of poor journalism.

[Shadder]

8. Because he was?

As I recall, when the arresting officer spotted him he was either in the process of digging around in a grocery store trash bin looking for food or had just finished.

Seems like a natural place to find him if you ask me.

[0007]

9. I respect your opinion, Sir! But Eric wasn't found praying in a church

he was found scrounging food out of a dumpster. And for what crimes Eric Rudolph is being accused, in my humble opinion I think Eric Rudolph is less than human. I'm not saying that he isn't redeemable and can't ever be forgiven, but I am saying that Eric Rudolph is a worthless piece of shit up to this point.

Please don't whine about poor journalism my good friend. It was right on the money. Complain about junior.

[Ms_Mary]

16. Um, because Jeff found him rooting through a dumpster behind the Piggly

Wiggly?

[noonwitch]

12. The headline implies that his lawyers are not contesting the bombing

charges, doesn't it? The full of the article is clear, but it is a misleading headline in that way-it sounds like they are only disputing whether he planned to flee or not.

That said, I do hope he is convicted and incarcerated for the rest of his sorry life.