Fall River City Councilor Pam Laliberte will be back in court next Thursday on charges she harassed the wife of a former lover in Westport and intimidated witnesses in the police investigation.
Councilor Laliberte was arraigned in January on two misdemeanor harassment charges and two felony counts of witness intimidation.
The hearing next week will deal with motions by defense attorney Frank Camera to have all charges dropped citing insufficient evidence.
FRCMedia legal analyst attorney Steven Sabra says there are grounds for these motions.
Attorney Sabra says Councilor Laliberte’s standing in the community may have played a role in the pursuit by Westport police to file the charges, which may be considered damaging.
Late last year the defense filed a similar motion to dismiss the felony charges but was denied because Councilor Laliberte had yet to be arraigned in the case. During that argument, lawyers for the victims were on hand seeking to have the charges dropped. Attorney Sabra says such a move is uncommon and will likely not be allowed next week.
Following her arrest last year, councilor Laliberte relinquished her role as city council president but still remains a member of the council.
Comments are closed.