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Kennedy Asks Mt. Kisco Court to Dismiss Charges

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. – Douglas Kennedy, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, returned to Mount Kisco Court Thursday night to file a motion to dismiss all charges pertaining to a January incident involving two nurses at Northern Westchester Hospital. If the motion does not pass, though, Kennedy’s lawyer Robert Gottlieb said his client is ready to go to trial to face charges of harassment and child endangerment.

“The only thing I wanted to do that night was to be with my son and hold him in my arms,” Kennedy said in a press conference following the session in court.

On Jan. 7, Kennedy reportedly tried to take his newborn son Bo from the hospital’s maternity ward, giving the reason that he wanted to get his son some fresh air. When two nurses tried to stop him from taking the baby off the unit, a scuffle ensued.

The hospital said nurses Anna Lane and Cari Luciano were following hospital policy when they tried to stop Kennedy from taking the baby out of the maternity ward.  Lane has accused Kennedy of twisting her arm and Luciano has said that he kicked her in an attempt to block them from taking his son.

Kennedy was arrested in February and charged with two counts of harassment and one of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. It was reported earlier this month that the New York State Office of Children and Family Services determined that “no credible evidence was found to believe that the child has been abused or maltreated.”

Assistant District Attorney Amy Puerto said the prosecution would fight the motion to dismiss the criminal charges.

Gottlieb also called to subpoena the hospital’s records of the incident, a motion that the prosecution also intends to bar. However, Gottlieb doubted their ability to do so. “The DA does not have the standing to put up a roadblock to us getting the documents we’re entitled to,” he said.

Gottlieb said he does not know why a criminal case is being pursued by the Westchester District Attorney’s Office, calling the case a “colossal waste of everyone’s time.”

“If any crimes were committed, they were committed by other people,” he said. He went on to imply that the nurses were just trying to “line their pockets,” adding, “We all know what this case is about.”

Kristi Wilkenloh of Ridgefield, Conn., a friend of one of the nurses, disagreed with the lawyer's statement. She echoed a sentiment that was openly shared by the nurses from the hospital and those from the New York State Nurses Association who were gathered outside the building following the court session, saying Kennedy’s name is hindering the case.

“He needs to be responsible for what he did in the moment,” Wilkenloh said. “Nobody’s saying he’s not entitled to hold his son.” She added, “But he has to follow the rules just like anyone else has to.”

Kennedy, a reporter for Fox News, is scheduled to be in court again on June 14 at the Mount Kisco Justice Court.

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