Lawyer: Picabo will be cleared of charges
NOBODY PUTS Picabo Street in a corner.
The Olympic skiing champion, charged with assaulting her father over the holidays, plans to demand a jury trial, citing “self-defense and defense of others” in a notice served last week upon the Summit County Justice Court in Park City, Utah.
“I am going to press for a trial as soon as possible because I am confident that a jury will see just how wrong these charges are,” says Street's attorney, Joe Wrona.
“I can't wait to present this to a jury,” Wrona tells the Daily News. “I expect a jury to be as outraged as I am.”
Street, 44, called 911 on Dec. 23 asking for help after an altercation with her 76-year-old father, Roland Street. She told dispatchers she “put” her father down the stairs after he pulled her hair and scratched her face. Officers responding the scene arrested and briefly jailed Street, charging her with three counts of misdemeanor domestic violence in the presence of a child and one count of misdemeanor assault.
Wrona tells the News he plans to call Roland Street to the witness stand, along with Picabo Street and her mother. Wrona also says the former downhiller's defense will be bolstered by footage he has reviewed from cameras he says the police officers wore on their uniforms while responding to the call.
“Video evidence demonstrates a disagreement between the officers involved in the arrest,” says Wrona. “The senior officer had to cajole the younger officer into making the arrest.”
Joy Natale, the prosecuting attorney in the case, said she can't comment on the video or any other evidence.
“We'll wait to let the jury decide,” Natale said.
Wrona, who took over Street's defense three weeks ago, described his client, the 1998 Olympic super-G gold medalist, as a loving mother who also cares for her elderly parents. He said the dispute arose after Street stopped her father from “trying to drive his two-wheel drive vehicle” in a major snowstorm.
That aligns with statements Street made in the 911 call, when she claimed her father had bumped his car into her house. In the call, Street said her father had pulled her hair and scratched her face. Her mother could be heard in the background of the call disputing that version of events.
“I recognized literally within minutes of reviewing the purported evidence that they do not have a prosecutable case,” says Wrona.
“I do disagree with that,” says Natale. “It's certainly her constitutional right to request a jury trial. If that's what she requests, we will gladly set a trial date as soon as we can.”
A hearing in the case is scheduled for next Tuesday in Park City, where Natale predicted a trial date will be set. She said prosecutors also intend to call upon Roland Street for testimony.
“He is the victim in this case, so we’d likely call him,” said Natale.