Police had recommended charges of attempted murder be brought against Nowak, but prosecutors chose not to do so. Nowak, who is a Navy captain drove at least 900 miles on 5 February to confront Colleen Shipman, an Air Force captain, police revealed. The 43-year-old mother of three was under the impression that Shipman was her rival for the affections of Bill Oefelein, an astronaut and Navy commander.

Captain Nowak will be charged at the Orange County Circuit Court in Orlando.

Police investigators said that Nowak had worn diapers during her drive from Texas to Florida so she would not have to stop anywhere. She had also carried a compressed-air pistol, a steel mallet and a knife while traveling in disguise.

Nowak's attorney Donald A. Lykkebak maintains that the charges brought against his client are heavy, “The state attorney appears to recognize that the initial charges were overreaching. Unfortunately, as demonstrated by the charges now filed, the state’s current assessment still overstates the conduct," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile Captain Shipman's lawyer Kepler Funk said that he was glad the state prosecutors had chosen to listen carefully to their input.

In the aftermath of the incident, the focus was on NASA for its inability to recognize that Nowak was a troubled individual. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin admitted that the agency had failed to home in on this trait of Captain Nowak.
 

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