A criminal named Nowak drove from Texas to Florida. In Florida the criminal assaulted a woman by spraying pepper spray into her car. Those are the salient elements of the offense. It was a misdemeanor assault or, perhaps attempted assault depending if the "victim" was actually struck by the mace and hurt by it. It's VERY common for cops to pepper spray suspects. We know of a prisoner at the fabled Frackville state prison in East-Central Pennsylvania who had the cops spray mace directly up his nose in an apparent effort to kill him. Most cops are thugs. Harming others is their sport. They are almost never called to task for their assaults. In the case of Nowak, the criminal in the present article, the cops saw an opportunity to make themselves look really important. They could get national attention and appear to be big shots. People become cops for two reasons, to bully others and to look important. In the case of this criminal, the cops realized they'd hit the mother load. By exaggerating the incident they could get attention from all over the country. They exaggerated the minor matter. They charged the criminal with attempted murder! and a list of other offenses. The Orlando, Florida cops were able to get away with their invention because the criminal was: A woman, Lisa Nowak, A famous astronaut who'd flown in space, and would attract media attention, Had ordinary things in her car such as gloves and a length of plastic tubing, Wore a sort of disguise if, for a woman a wig is a disguise, and, most important of all, She was wearing an adult diaper when arrested. That personal detail would cause gossip to keep the story alive. It's certainly not uncommon for women, especially those who've had a few children, to need a diaper when driving. Women often leak urine. By contrast, men frequently have the opposite problem and can't urinate when the need to. To a man's narrow experience, a diaper seems like a strange thing. The point is that very commonly, cops exaggerate or even invent crimes. Cops are inherently unreliable. They are always trying to make themselves more important than they really are. Women are their favorite victims. Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectible Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job after," Gloria Steinem (1934-) You are welcome to use or republish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the Crime Stories Menu. Return to the Main Menu. Go to our site's Search Engine. Send us Your Comments, Questions or Input.