The Suffolk County police can have a sigh of relief as Miss America Lauren Nelson, the key witness of their undercover sex sting, has agreed to testify against the 11 men who were arrested as a result of the sting operation.
The Suffolk County police had used 20-year-old Nelson as a bait to target would-be internet sex offenders and were successful in arresting 11 men. Nelson posed as a teenager and lured men into chatting online and meeting her at a home, where police and crews were waiting. But the sting received a setback when Nelson told prosecutors she did not plan to return to Long Island to testify.
But a fresh statement from the Miss America Organization has revitalized the case. Spokeswoman Sharon Pearce said that Nelson is co-operating with the law enforcement officials and that includes her testimony at the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.
However, Robert Clifford, a spokesman of the district attorney’s office, said that no asurance could be given at this time as the district attorney had not been directly notified.
Meanwhile, Nelson is likely to face cross-examination by attorney Michael Brown, who is representing one of the arrested men, if she maintains that she actually spoke with his client.
