CRIME

Could Polanski Soon Walk Free?

Legal team seeks to dismiss charges.

Roman Polanski’s surprise arrest at the Zurich airport could lead to a happy ending for the Polish filmmaker, The Washington Post reports. Polanski’s legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the charges that have followed him for 31 years, since he fled the United States after pleading guilty to sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old. "I think he will finally get his day in court," criminal defense attorney Steve Cron said, "and there's a good chance his case will be dismissed or the sentence will be commuted to time served." Poland and France are making a joint appeal to the United States to have Polanski released from detention. A HBO documentary raised questions over judicial misconduct in Polanski’s 1977 case, and his victim, Samantha Geimer, has joined the filmmaker’s bid for dismissal after Polanski and she reached a settlement outside of court. The Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby director won an Oscar for The Pianist in 2002 and was in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award when he was detained by Swiss police at the request of U.S. authorities. Extradition could take months.