Trial delayed again for accused bomb threat caller

The U.S. Attorney’s Office once again delayed setting a trial date for a former Pitt student… The U.S. Attorney’s Office once again delayed setting a trial date for a former Pitt student accused of making bomb threats on campus, saying officials wanted more time to consider her for an alternative program.

Louisa Ewuresi Nkrumah, who is accused of calling in threats to the Cathedral of Learning and Posvar Hall in April 2008, asked the U.S. Attorney’s Office to consider her for the Pre-Trial Diversion Program this summer, according to court documents.

The program, which is designed for first-time offenders, gives some defendants a chance to have their charges dropped, said Robert Cessar, the acting U.S. Attorney. People accepted to the Pre-Trial Diversion program work with the U.S. Probation Service to create a one-year program that could include drug testing, paying restitution to injured parties or performing community service, among other activities, Cessar said.

He estimated that five or six people enter the program each month and that about 98 percent of them successfully complete it. He said candidates for the program are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and that officials will consider, among other factors, the nature of the defendant’s crime and previous criminal history, as well as the value of the damages resulting from the crime he or she is accused of committing.

Cessar did not comment on Nkrumah’s case. Nkrumah could not be reached for comment, nor could her lawyer, Cynthia Reed Eddy, who has declined to comment in the past, saying communication between her and her clients is confidential.

The newest extension will give Nkrumah and Eddy until Feb. 26 to file pre-trial motions, which are any requests that would affect the necessity of a trial or the trial’s conduct. Federal attorneys cannot set a trial date until after the deadline for pre-trial motions.

Nkrumah spent last semester studying at Penn State Harrisburg. Steve Hevner, a spokesman for Penn State Harrisburg, said he could not confirm whether she would return to class for the spring semester, because the school’s classes don’t begin until Monday.