Astronaut says she did not give consent to car search

FORMER astronaut Lisa Nowak, 44, consented to a police search of her car after she allegedly confronted a romantic rival, and she appeared in control during an interview with police, a detective testified yesterday.

Nowak, pictured, was in court to ask a judge to throw out evidence against her, including the five-hour police interview and evidence found in the car. Her attorney argues that she didn’t consent to the search and wasn’t advised of her rights before questioning.

Nowak, 44, was arrested in February after allegedly confronting Colleen Shipman, the girlfriend of a former space shuttle pilot Nowak had been seeing. Authorities say Nowak stalked Shipman at the Orlando airport and attacked her with pepper spray.

Nowak’s trial is to begin April 7.

In court yesterday, Lykkebak said Nowak was frantic and exhausted before her interview with Becton. He said the search of Nowak’s BMW, parked at an airport-area hotel, was illegal because she never signed a consent form. Becton said Nowak nodded in authorisation several times and even wrote down the location for him.

Becton said another officer accompanied him and Nowak to the car so she could withdraw consent while he was searching. That never happened, Becton said.

Police said Nowak had driven nearly 1,000 miles from Houston to Orlando, using nappies to avoid taking breaks.

She was dismissed from the astronaut corps a month after her arrest. The married mother of three has pleaded not guilty to attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault.