Roman Polanski Arrested
L.A. County district attorney's Finally able to get their man? Now will he be heading back to the United States and Brought to justice?Swiss authorities arrested Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski in Zurich on Saturday at the request of U.S. authorities, who have sought the Chinatown director's arrest since he fled the States in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a female minor. Polanski, 76, was in Switzerland to receive an award at the Zurich Film Festival and now faces possible extradition to the U.S., which has sought his arrest abroad since 2005. According to The Los Angeles Times, the L.A. County district attorney's office planed the filmmaker's arrest after learning last week that he would be at the film festival.
Polanski's statutory-rape case was documented in the HBO documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. Polanski had sex with a 13 year-old girl in 1977 at the home of Jack Nicholson while his Chinatown star was away. The victim has said the filmmaker drugged her with a Quaalude pill and gave her champagne before performing sex acts on her against her will. Polanski plead guilty to one of the six charges against him, unlawful sexual intercourse, and went to jail for 42 days for evaluation. Although the lawyers in the case had agreed that would be the extent of his sentence, the judge attempted to renege on the plea bargain and wanted to sentence Polanski to more time in prison. Polanski fled the U.S. when he learned of this, and an arrest warrant has been out for him ever since he failed to appear for his sentencing. Polanski has since been living in France with his wife and children, and has worked in Europe unhindered for three decades. France would not extradite him to the U.S., and the Americans never asked the French to prosecute him on his home soil.
Prior to his arrest, the Rosemary's Baby director had "asked a U.S. appeals court in California to overturn a judges' refusal to throw out his case. He claims misconduct by the now-deceased judge who had arranged a plea bargain and then reneged on it," according to the Associated Press. "His victim, Samantha Geimer, who long ago identified herself publicly, has joined in Polanski's bid for dismissal, saying she wants the case to be over. She sued Polanski and reached an undisclosed settlement." The U.S. now has 60 days to file a formal request for extradition, during which time Polanski will be held in Zurich. But if Polanski agrees to extradition, he could be in the U.S. within a matter of days.
When asked by the Los Angeles Times if Polanski would be sentenced to prison time if he returns stateside, district attorney's office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said, "We've always maintained this is a matter between Polanski and the court. … We initially recommended prison time for him, but I can't see into the future."
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