GUILTY! SMU prof to be sentenced
 

MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Dallas: Jury agrees she hit cyclist deliberately; sentencing is today

07:38 AM CDT on Tuesday, June 14, 2005

By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News

A Southern Methodist University law professor was convicted of
aggravated assault Monday after jurors in her trial agreed that she used
her car as a deadly weapon and intentionally struck a bicyclist riding
at White Rock Lake last May.
Jane Dolkart

Jane Dolkart bowed her head and sobbed after the verdict was read, and
bailiffs began taking her fingerprints. She was allowed to post a $2,500
bond until the jury decides her punishment today.

The tenured labor and employment law professor faces probation to 20
years in prison for the second-degree felony charge.

Witnesses said Ms. Dolkart was visibly upset and honking the horn of her
Volkswagen Passat as she followed cyclist Tommy Thomas and a friend
along West Lawther Drive near Mockingbird Lane in Lakewood.

Mr. Thomas testified that he feared for his life when Ms. Dolkart's car
struck the rear of his bicycle and dragged him under the car several
feet. He suffered bruises and abrasions to his left forearm and a sore
shoulder.

A police officer who investigated the incident testified that Ms.
Dolkart acknowledged "tapping" Mr. Thomas' bicycle because he was
blocking her way as she drove to meet friends to ride her own bicycle at
the lake about 10 a.m. on a Sunday. During the trial, Ms. Dolkart denied
making that statement.

Testifying in her defense, Ms. Dolkart said that she did not intend to
hit the bike but that Mr. Thomas slowed suddenly as he pedaled in front
of her. In closing arguments, attorney Mike Gibson said the incident was
nothing more than an accident and disputed the argument that Ms.
Dolkart's car was a deadly weapon. He said the victim's account of the
collision was "exaggerated and full of mistakes."

"If distracted driving was a crime, we'd have to build five courthouses
because people do it every day," he said.

Prosecutor Danny Oliphant said witness accounts and physical evidence
from the accident proved that Ms. Dolkart's driving was deliberate.

"It wasn't just an accident. It wasn't just a mistake. This was an
intentional act," he said.

E-mail

mrbubl writes:

MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Good. I think something right around one year would be fine.

Jim Smith wrote:
mrbubl writes:
MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Good. I think something right around one year would be fine.

And long-time suspension of driving priviledges. And anger management
classes. And remedial driving classes before driving priveledges are
restored.

Austin

On 14 Jun 2005 09:41:59 -0700, "AustinMN" wrote:

Jim Smith wrote:
mrbubl writes:
MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Good. I think something right around one year would be fine.

And long-time suspension of driving priviledges. And anger management
classes. And remedial driving classes before driving priveledges are
restored.

Austin

Damn, Austin, you're good. How about she's only allowed to drive this:

http://www.twikeklub.ch/challenge98/...w23649_43t.jpg

-B

AustinMN wrote:
Jim Smith wrote:
mrbubl writes:
MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Good. I think something right around one year would be fine.


They were probably having an affair and he dumped her. You know how
vengeful we women can get when ignored. If that is the case, he was
lucky he was not run over six or seven times. Women can get pretty
evil. ;-) Think about it. Then say...ummmmmmmm

Maggie

jj wrote:
:: On 14 Jun 2005 09:41:59 -0700, "AustinMN"
:: wrote:
::
::: Jim Smith wrote:
:::: mrbubl writes:
::::: MU prof guilty of aggravated assault
:::
:::: Good. I think something right around one year would be fine.
:::
::: And long-time suspension of driving priviledges. And anger
::: management classes. And remedial driving classes before driving
::: priveledges are restored.
:::
::: Austin
::
:: Damn, Austin, you're good. How about she's only allowed to drive
:: this:
::
:: http://www.twikeklub.ch/challenge98/...w23649_43t.jpg
::
:: -B

What? The bike or the go-cart thingie?

On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 11:11:38 -0500, Jim Smith wrote:

mrbubl writes:

MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Good. I think something right around one year would be fine.

Well, I don't know. This isn't the first time she ran down people in her
car.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Accept risk. Accept responsibility. Put a lawyer out of
_`\(,_ | business.
(_)/ (_) |

Little Meow wrote:
Maggie wrote:

They were probably having an affair and he dumped her. You know how
vengeful we women can get when ignored. If that is the case, he was
lucky he was not run over six or seven times. Women can get pretty
evil. ;-) Think about it. Then say...ummmmmmmm

Ok.
I've thought about it and then I said "ummmmm."
Now I am thinking that you speak from experience and I wonder how
many paramours have met their untimely end beneath your spurned wheels?


Oh dirty maggie mae they have taken her away
And she'll never walk down lime street anymore
Oh the judge he guilty found her
That dirty no good robbin' maggie mae
-Beatles

mrbubl wrote:

MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Dallas: Jury agrees she hit cyclist deliberately; sentencing is today

snip

In this city the search is one for a taxi driver who hit a little boy on
his bike...

http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=1&nid=28868

To be honest, I dislike riding with the cars and avoid it as much as
possible.

Yep, I'm a wussie.

Joe Canuck wrote:
mrbubl wrote:

MU prof guilty of aggravated assault

Dallas: Jury agrees she hit cyclist deliberately; sentencing is today

snip

In this city the search is one for a taxi driver who hit a little boy on
his bike...

http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=1&nid=28868

To be honest, I dislike riding with the cars and avoid it as much as
possible.

Yep, I'm a wussie.


I'd be dead for sure if I rode in traffic. I would feel sorry for the
drivers trying to avoid me.

Maggie