O.J. SIMPSON . . . KEY WITNESS FADES FROM SCENE

Detective Mark Fuhrman, the key investigator in the O.J. Simpson case who has been repeatedly accused of racism by the defense, has been given a desk job, apparently to take him out of the line of political fire. Judge Lance Ito, who's overseeing the trial, forbade the defense access to the officer's military record, ABC News reported. Fuhrman had testified he found a key piece of evidence being used by the prosecution: a bloody glove on the Simpson estate. Fuhrman's attorney said the decision had nothing to do with the Simpson case but added that his client was unhappy about the shift.