Barry Inquiry Figure Misses Court Date

The woman who helped the FBI in its arrest of Washington Mayor Marion Barry on a crack-cocaine charge missed a Tuesday court date in Los Angeles on a driving-under-the-influence charge because she was testifying to a Washington federal grand jury.

Although a $6,000 bench warrant was issued by Van Nuys Municipal Court for Hazel Diane Moore, 38, who also uses the name Rasheeda Moore, the release of the warrant was postponed until Jan. 30 to give her time to appear, a court clerk said. The clerk, who gave her name only as Diane, said the delay is “not unusual at all, (to) give the person time to come in.”

Information provided to The Times and at least one other news agency indicated that Moore returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon aboard a United Airlines flight, accompanied by federal agents.

An FBI spokesman here declined to comment. He said the “whole matter” is being handled by the agency’s field office in Washington.

Inquiries at Moore’s Burbank apartment were answered by a man who said through the door, “She’s not here . . . I cannot make any statement.”

Moore is a former model and acquaintance of the Washington mayor, and the woman who called Barry to the hotel room where he was arrested last week, law enforcement sources said.

The drunk-driving arrest in North Hollywood late on New Year’s Day was apparently the trigger that popped an FBI no-bail “material witness warrant” issued for Moore in the Barry matter, officials indicated.

“It’s not a criminal warrant, it was a material witness warrant issued . . . for her to testify in regards to our Barry investigation,” said Bobi Wallace, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Washington field office.

After Moore was stopped at the intersection of Victory and Lankershim boulevards for driving with no headlights, police said, she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Moore, who carried no driver’s license, was taken to the Van Nuys jail, police said.

There, police turned up the warrant, which was later “lifted” after they spoke with federal officials, said Cmdr. William Booth, LAPD spokesman. Moore “was released on her own recognizance” about 12 hours later, he said. Neither the LAPD nor the FBI would comment on reports that Moore was released into the custody of the FBI.

Government sources have said Moore decided to cooperate with the FBI after developing “problems of her own” with a federal grand jury investigating Barry and public corruption in Washington. Sources said FBI agents baby-sat for Moore’s three children while she took part in the operation that resulted in Barry’s arrest on a misdemeanor charge of possessing crack cocaine.