Charges against two women of raping a third woman dismissed

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) – Prosecutors have dropped rape charges filed against two women, including a former Smith College student, who were accused of handcuffing and raping another student and slashing her with knives.

Rachel Ann Klobertanz, 23, and Augusta Claire Kendall, 22, both pleaded innocent in January to aggravated rape and assault charges.

Kendall was a student at the elite women’s college at the time of her arrest.

The woman who made the accusation lives out of state and would not voluntarily testify, so the judge dismissed the charges on Monday, according to the district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors had said the three women met at a downtown Northampton bar on Jan. 14. They went back to Klobertanz and Kendall’s apartment, where they drank champagne and engaged in sex that allegedly began as consensual but ended as rape.

Hundreds of letters written supporting shipyard

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley plans to deliver hundreds of letters written by Seacoast residents in support of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission and the White House.

Bradley, R-N.H., was to get the letters Thursday.

The commission will forward its final recommendations on hundreds of military installations nationwide to the president by Sept. 8. The president has until Sept. 23 to accept or reject the recommendations in their entirety.

If accepted, Congress has 45 legislative days to reject the recommendations in their entirety or they become binding.

First bras, now perfume stolen from Victoria’s Secret

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – First someone stole bras, now someone has stolen $1,500 worth of perfume from Victoria’s Secret at the Mall of New Hampshire.

A week ago, the store reported the theft of 500 “Very Sexy” bras worth $18,000. The bras were taken from nine storage drawers in display cases.

Wednesday, the store reported perfume was missing.

Police arrest Army deserter in Hanover

HANOVER, N.H. (AP) – A Vermont man has been arrested on felony desertion charges.

Hanover police said they arrested Gerald Remacle, 40, of Bradford on Wednesday. The Army issued a warrant for his arrest in June 2004 after he left his post at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Remacle also was charged with failing to pay fines for driving after his driver’s license was suspended.

Police said Remacle pleaded guilty to the driving charge at his arraignment Wednesday. He was in jail awating transfer to federal custody on the desertion warrant.