Lawyer For Accused Trebek Thief Reaffirms Prostitution Alibi
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - An attorney for a woman accused of burglarizing the San Francisco hotel room of "Jeopardy" game show host Alex Trebek reiterated his claim Monday that his client was at the hotel as a prostitute and was not the thief.
Lucinda Moyers, 56, was arrested July 26 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis at 55 Fourth St. on suspicion of the burglary, and was in court to set a date for a future hearing in the case.
Moyers' attorney, Mark Jacobs from the public defender's office, said outside of court following Monday's hearing that police arrested the wrong person.
Jacobs said Moyers was at the hotel to meet a john, but the man did not answer the hotel room door when she arrived there.
Moyers was in the hallway when Trebek rushed out of his room, and she ran because she was afraid of getting caught for prostitution, according to the public defender's office.
Trebek, who was in the Bay Area filming the National Geographic World Championship at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, told police he and his wife Jean were sleeping when, at 3 a.m., he awoke to find a woman inside the room.
He chased her down the hallway but ruptured his Achilles tendon and fell. Moyers was detained by hotel security and subsequently arrested by police.
Jacobs said Monday that the arrest was a case of mistaken identity since "Mr. Trebek was sound asleep and didn't see who entered his room," only seeing Moyers outside in the hallway.
He also said Moyers was not found with any of the stolen items, which included purses, wallets and cash. Officers found some of the items near a hotel ice machine, but cash and a bracelet remain missing, Jacobs said.
Moyers has pleaded not guilty to one count of residential burglary and one count of possession of stolen property and remains in custody on $625,000 bail.
She has two prior convictions for burglary in 1990 and 1991, according to prosecutors, who could pursue this as a three strikes case. Jacobs said she also has several citations from police for prostitution.
Moyers will return to court Aug. 25 for a status hearing in the case, with a preliminary hearing tentatively set for Sept. 14.
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