Scientist Arrested After Dispute Sparked by Dog Urine

HOUSTON - It is a case of "he said, she said," pitting a retired scientist against a convicted criminal. But in this case, the Ph.D. is the defendant, and her accuser is the one with the rap sheet.

It started with a couple out for a walk with their dog. Robert Shlemon, 26, admitted his pet peed on Hatice Cullingford's plants. Cullingford, 64, confronted Shlemon and his fiance in an argument that grew heated.

"He said he would go back and get his gun," said Cullingford. "I said, 'I'll shoot you.'"

Shlemon, who denied making any threats against Cullingford, called police, who arrested her at her home and took her to jail. Cullingford said it's a miscarriage of justice.

"They came to my property, they threatened me and then they complain about me?"

Shlemon's criminal record includes entries for drug possession, driving with a suspended license and possession of a prohibited weapon.

It's this last conviction, for which Shlemon served probation, that Cullingford's attorney says lends credence to her version of the confrontation.

"Her story that he threatened her with a weapon would seem credible," said Randall Kallinen.

"She can't protect herself by a few words?" he continued. "And then they arrest her, a retired Ph.D. physicist from NASA? It doesn't make any sense."

Cullingford is charged with Assault by Threat, a Class C Misdemeanor.

Her trial is set for next spring and Robert Shlemon told FOX 26 by telephone from Baton Rouge that he would be there to testify, if necessary.

Shlemon indicated the weapons charge was an overreaction on the part of school administrators when he was 17.

He maintained he is the true victim in the case, not Cullingford.

Houston chief prosecutor Randy Zamora told FOX 26 his staff attorneys had not yet interviewed anyone in this case. But he added it would be unusual for officers to arrest and jail a person for a Class C Misdemeanor like Assault by Threat, which is punishable by a fine of up to $250.

Houston police were looking into details of the arrest, but their report indicated Cullingford was uncooperative when taken into custody, although there is no indication she resisted arrest.