Former Astronaut Nowak Asks For Removal of Her Ankle Bracelet

Former astronaut Lisa Nowack made headlines in February when she was arrested at the Orlando International Airport on charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted burglary, and destruction of evidence. Nowak had made a cross-country trip from Houston to confront Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman in the airport parking lot, hammering on her window and spraying her with pepper spray.

Orlando police initially charged Nowak with attempted murder and said she would not be granted bail, but later the charges were reduced and Nowak was released on $25,500 bail under the condition she wear a GPS tracking device and not contact Shipman. Nowak has told authorities that she and Shipman were rivals for the affection of another former astronaut, Bill Oefelein, who was dismissed from the astronaut corps in early June.

Nowak has filed a petition asking for a judge to allow her to remove the ankle bracelet while she awaits trial, saying that the bracelet is unnecessary and expensive. According to a court filing made by her attorney Thursday, Nowak is paying $105 a week for the monitoring device, and has paid nearly $3,000 so far. Nowak says that the bracelet interferes with her ability to drive, fly on a commercial airplane, and monitor her children in the pool. Additionally, she says, it makes it difficult for her to exercise, which is a required activity for a Navy officer.

The court filing says that the ankle bracelet "is not small, comfortable, lightweight, or unobtrusive, as its supplier would have one believe." Nowak’s attorneys say that the manufacturers of the ankle bracelet have violated their client’s privacy rights by using her case for publicity to sell their product. The motion says that the president of the manufacturing company, which is not named, "invited media to his office and specifically shared what his device could reveal about Lisa Nowak."

Kepler Funk, Shipman’s attorney, said that he is going to fight Nowak’s 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 after her arrest, Nowak said that she went to Orlando to confront Shipman to try to find out where she stood in the love triangle with Oefelein. Police say that Nowak was carrying a duffel bag that contained a 2-pound drilling hammer, a BB gun, and an 8-inch folding Gerber knife.

Nowak was dismissed from the astronaut corps a month after being arrested. Her trial is set for September.