[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17573-17574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             ACQUITTAL OF MIDSHIPMAN 1ST CLASS LAMAR OWENS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 7, 2006

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure many people followed the 
case against Lamar Owens, as well as the not guilty verdict that 
followed. Because the impact of this case does not end with the 
verdict, I am submitting two opinion articles for the Record. I believe 
these articles highlight some important things to consider regarding 
the lasting impact these charges will have on this young man, his 
accuser, and so many others. I submit the following opinion articles 
for the Record: ``Owens absolved, but Navy case has no winners,'' by 
Rick Maese from the Baltimore Sun and ``Academy can help dispel cloud 
from rape case,'' which appeared in the Capital on August 1, 2006.

                    [From the Capital, Aug. 1, 2006]

              Academy Can Help Dispel Cloud From Rape Case

       Whatever conduct Midshipman 1st Class Lamar Owens admitted 
     to when he was court-martialed on rape charges, much of the 
     second guessing following his acquittal on those charges 
     hasn't focused on him. It has focused on the Naval Academy, 
     which relied on noncredible testimony in a case that 
     showcased the superintendent's crackdown on sexual 
     harassment.
       A military jury recently acquitted Midshipman Owens of 
     raping a female midshipman. It found insufficient evidence to 
     disregard Midshipman Owens' version of events. He contended 
     all along that the sexual intercourse was consensual.
       The female midshipman, who had a history of alcohol abuse, 
     had returned to her dorm drunk on the night of the incident. 
     Midshipman Owens testified that she invited him to her room 
     and that she fell asleep during sexual intercourse.
       It was her word against his--and the verdict surprised no 
     one who followed the trial. The jury did convict Midshipman 
     Owens of the lesser charge of conduct unbecoming of an 
     officer, but declined to impose any punishment for it.
       The case was deeply flawed. Not only did the accuser's 
     history cast doubt on her testimony, but she didn't even cry 
     for help from a roommate asleep just a few feet away. All the 
     prosecutors really had solid evidence for was a sexual 
     encounter--something that violated the institution's honor 
     code, but is not unheard-of at the academy.
       There are no winners here, but right now the biggest loser 
     seems to be Midshipman Owens. His reputation can't be 
     restored and the suffering for himself and his family can't 
     be erased. The superintendent should drop any further action 
     against him.
       It is less clear what to do with his accuser. She and her 
     friends were granted immunity for their testimony, so she 
     faces only minor disciplinary action. Perjury trumps 
     immunity--so if prosecutors believe she perjured herself, 
     would they pursue those charges with equal determination?
       Just what is the penalty for making a false accusation? 
     Graduation and a commission? The accuser's name wasn't 
     paraded before the public. Her family didn't have to face 
     public speculation and ridicule. She was shielded. But given 
     the problems she admitted to at the trial, is she the kind of 
     officer we'd want to lead troops into combat?
       The superintendent, Vice Adm. Rodney Rempt, inherited a 
     school with a history of sexual misconduct. We applaud his 
     determination to purge the academy of sexual harassment. But 
     in the process of demonstrating their resolve, he and his 
     staff appear to have chosen the wrong case.
       We don't know if the superintendent got bad advice from the 
     attorneys or if he decided to make an example of Midshipman 
     Owens, the former quarterback of the Navy football team. But 
     now that Midshipman Owens has been acquitted of rape, we 
     believe he has suffered enough. If his accuser ends up with 
     the commission that he deserves, then the worst miscarriage 
     of justice is yet to come.
                                  ____


                [From the Baltimore Sun, July 23, 2006]

              Owens Absolved, but Navy Case Has No Winners

                            (By Rick Maese)

       Forget the campus fame, the media coverage, the proud alums 
     and the smiling boosters. There's no real meaning behind any 
     of that.
       The game clock only hints at this possibility, but there's 
     a point for everybody when you realize that the game is over. 
     When you step off the playing field, your role changes.
       One minute: a star quarterback, the team's most valuable 
     player, playing in a bowl game. The next: a worried 
     defendant, the accused, marooned far away from the football 
     field.
       One minute: a successful coach, the father figure, a leader 
     of men. The next: a character witness, the supporter, taking 
     a stand in a courtroom.
       There's no scoreboard that will tell you this, but there 
     wasn't a single winner when Lamar Owens, the Naval Academy's 
     quarterback last season, was cleared of rape charges last 
     week.
       On Friday, a military jury recommended no punishment for 
     Owens in connection with two lesser charges.
       Navy coach Paul Johnson was at home when he heard the news. 
     He picked up the phone and called Owens. It went to voice 
     mail, and the coach said that he was happy for Owens, happy 
     for his family, and that he hoped they could all move 
     forward.
       As tough as the past six months have been, moving forward 
     is no easy challenge. Not for Owens and not for his accuser. 
     Not for the academy and not for Johnson's football team.
       ``Lamar and his family, for them this has been a tremendous 
     pressure,'' Johnson said.

[[Page 17574]]

     ``I wasn't really worried about the program. The program 
     stands on its own. I can see where for some people, though, 
     the verdict does vindicate Lamar and maybe it does vindicate 
     the program a little bit.''
       Johnson has remained mostly tightlipped about the case. He 
     spoke with reporters during the team's spring practice but 
     has said little else. Even after the verdict, Johnson was 
     careful with his words when I spoke with him Friday evening.
       But you could tell how highly Johnson regards Owens. The 
     two met six years ago when the coach recruited Owens to play 
     for him at Division I-AA powerhouse Georgia Southern. Then, 
     when Johnson accepted the Navy job five years ago, he 
     persuaded Owens to follow him to Annapolis.
       There's a reason that Owens' defense attorneys called on 
     Johnson as a character witness. The coach took the stand and 
     said Owens had always been ``above reproach,'' but the judge, 
     Navy Cmdr. John Maksym, barred Johnson from sharing any 
     opinions on the charges brought against Owens.
       ``What they were saying Lamar did, well, it was just 
     totally out of character,'' Johnson told me on Friday. ``The 
     accusations weren't the Lamar I knew.''
       That's why it was so easy for Johnson to tell everyone to 
     just allow the case to play out. Johnson says he was 
     confident that if Owens was not guilty, the evidence and 
     testimony would reveal it.
       ``I think some people are quick to jump to conclusions,'' 
     he said. ``But my take all along was: Let's wait and see what 
     happens. People want to rush to judgment, but that's not fair 
     to anybody. You have to give a guy a chance to defend 
     himself.''
       The charges never made sense to anyone who knew Owens. He 
     was from a good home--his father works for the power company, 
     his mother is a prenatal nurse. He attended a military school 
     before coming to the Naval Academy. He recited Scripture to 
     friends and attended Bible study sessions every Thursday.
       In fact, after the accuser went to academy officials with 
     her allegations, several of Owens' teammates wanted to 
     confront her en masse. Owens pleaded with them not to. He 
     even went to Johnson and asked the coach to also discourage 
     his teammates.
       They all love Owens. It's why the players voted him Most 
     Valuable Player of last season's 8-4 team. It's why they were 
     in court for 10 straight days, sitting together in the 
     gallery as a show of support.
       They all breathed a sigh of relief Friday. What they knew 
     about their friend, now everyone knew.
       But no one thinks this is completely over. When someone 
     levies a serious charge, such as rape, the pounding of a 
     gavel doesn't make everything disappear.
       Owens has completed his classwork but isn't certain he'll 
     be allowed to graduate. There's also the possibility that he 
     could be expelled from the academy and forced to repay costs 
     for his taxpayer-funded schooling: $140,000.
       ``He's been remarkably upbeat,'' Johnson said of Owens. ``I 
     think he's handling stuff very well.''
       Owens won, but so much has been lost. In sports, victory is 
     supposed to be the ultimate reward, but that doesn't always 
     translate neatly to the real world.
       There's so often a gray area--between consent and force, 
     between innocence and guilt, between winning and losing.
       ``Nobody wins in these situations,'' Johnson said.
       Owens is a free man now. The Midshipmen begin practice next 
     week. And life at the academy is back to normal.
       But not really.
       There are lessons in this for everyone--surely, for Owens 
     and his accuser, but also for team officials and school 
     administrators. It's just unfortunate that this is how 
     lessons are learned.
       Ownes led his team in rushing and passing and touchdowns 
     last season. He took the Midshipmen to the Poinsettia Bowl, a 
     51-30 win over Colorado State. It was a great senior season, 
     one most Navy fans won't soon forget.
       Time will pass and Owens' place in school lore will be 
     cemented. When that happens, it'd be nice if Owens is 
     remembered for all that he did at the academy and not for 
     something he didn't.

                          ____________________