VU prof apologizes for harassing Crafton

Charges on ice against member of Slavic language faculty who made threatening calls to English Only advocate

Email | Print By E. Thomas Wood

11-24-2008 1:33 PM —

David A. Lowe, the Vanderbilt professor of Russian who was arrested last month for placing threatening telephone calls to Metro Councilman Eric Crafton, avoided prosecution this morning by telling Crafton he's sorry.

"The defendant made an apology to the victim in open court, and the charges were retired," said Susan Niland, spokesperson for the office of District Attorney Torry Johnson. Lowe had faced a charge of harassment, a Class A misdemeanor that can result in a sentence of up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Lowe, 60, is an associate professor of Slavic languages and literature at Vanderbilt, where he has been a faculty member for more than 25 years. Police spokesman Don Aaron said at the time of his arrest on Oct. 14 that he told detectives he is presently on leave.

Crafton and his family received six telephone calls over the weekend of Oct. 11-12 that police said were of a threatening nature. The messages centered around the proposed English Only charter amendment that Crafton has pushed since earlier this year.

Attempts to reach Lowe and Crafton for comment today have been unsuccessful.