DURHAM, N.C. — A second exotic dancer who performed at a March 13 Duke University lacrosse team party where a woman says she was raped and assaulted by three athletes made an obscene gesture at a television camera during court proceedings on Tuesday.
When Kim Roberts noticed WRAL's camera in the courtroom, she made the gesture and then stuck out her tongue.
Roberts, 31, was in court for a probation hearing on a previous embezzlement charge. She was arrested on March 22 -- eight days after the lacrosse party -- on a probation violation from a 2001 conviction for embezzling $25,000 from a photo-finishing company in Durham where she was a payroll specialist, according to court documents.
In a previous interview, Roberts said she does not know if an attack actually happened, but said she has "to wonder about their character," referring to the suspects in the case.
"I was not in the bathroom when it happened, so I can't say a rape occurred -- and I never will," Roberts told The Associated Press in April.
Defense attorneys claim Roberts at first told a member of the defense team that she did not believe the accuser's allegations. They say she has changed her story to gain favorable treatment in a criminal case against her.
They note she also e-mailed a New York public relations firm, asking in her letter for advice on "how to spin this to my advantage." The firm later said it would not be representing Roberts.
Roberts' testimony could be vital during any trial of the three suspects, sophomores Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty and Duke graduate David Evans, who were indicted on charges of first-degree rape, sexual offense and kidnapping.
Roberts refused to talk with WRAL on Tuesday.
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