A stripper who performed at a Duke lacrosse team party where another dancer said she was raped was sentenced to four months of house arrest Monday for an unrelated probation violation.
Kim Roberts was arrested nine days after the March 13 party, and charged with violating the terms of a probation agreement stemming from her 2001 conviction for embezzling US$25,000 from a photo finishing company where she worked as a payroll specialist.
Roberts was with a woman, a student at nearby North Carolina Central, who told police she was raped in a bathroom by three men at the off-campus party.
According to arguments filed by defence lawyers, Roberts said during her initial interview with police that the rape allegations were a ``crock'' and that she was with the accuser the entire time they were at the party. In an April interview with The Associated Press, Roberts said she was not in the bathroom and therefore could not say for certain the accuser was not raped.
A grand jury indicted three lacrosse players _ Reade Seligmann, 20; Collin Finnerty, 20; and David Evans, 23 _ on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offence. Defence lawyers have strongly proclaimed their innocence. They have not been arraigned.
Mark Simeon, Roberts' lawyer, said his client will begin the house arrest on Oct. 9 and will be allowed to leave her home to work. The period of house arrest will be cut to two months if she catches up on her back restitution payments. Her probation will run through December 2009.
