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CNN Live Today

Missing College Student

Aired December 03, 2003 - 11:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On to another case in the news now. Kidnapping suspect Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. faces an extradition hearing this hour in Minnesota. Next door in North Dakota, volunteers are being bussed into Grand Forks today to help search for college student Dru Sjodin.
Joining us now to talk more about this case and the suspect, Pamela Hayes, a former sex crimes prosecutor, joining us here in New York.

Pamela, good morning.

PAMELA HAYES, FMR. SEX CRIMES PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: Whether or not Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. is responsible for the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, we will leave to the courts. However, it is shining a bright light on how the system works and how convicted sex offenders are allowed to go free unsupervised.

HAYES: That's unfortunate, yes, it is.

KAGAN: Let's talk about he is listed as a level three offender. What does that mean?

HAYES: Well, generally, level three is the highest offender level in the listings that you have. It usually means that this is a person who is extremely dangerous and is capable of re-offending. Consequently, that person's name, their information, is highly publicized, usually with the local police department, as well as on the Internet. And they've just cannot say with certainty that this person is never going to offend again, and they are more likely than not to offend. And that's why they are in this high category, which I think they referred to as level three.

KAGAN: And it does sound like the officials there, they held a public hearing. About 100 people showed up. People knew he was living in this particular community, where he was living with his mother. But the way the system works before that, because he served his entire sentence and there was no parole, he was released unsupervised.

HAYES: Yes, that is unfortunate. One of the things that I am familiar with is, in the state of New Jersey, where you have an individual who is violent, repetitive, serial, likely to offend again, one of the things they try to do, is they have a special sex offender treatment facility. That facility is separate from people who find themselves in the situation where they're convicted of rape, but they're not likely to do it again or there hasn't been any diagnosis, evidence to show that they're scientifically likely to do it again.

But in this instance what they do is they treat these people while they serve their sentence. So instead of just warehousing them, keeping them away from the public, not doing anything, what they do in a facility like Avanell (ph), which is in the state of New Jersey, is they actually treat these people, try to see what the problem is, and find out ways that, you know, society could be better able to deal with this type of factor.

But the other thing is, they have laws that, you know, somehow they turn this into a mental health issue. If you turn it into a mental health issue, you have the ability to continuously monitor this person by having them come in time after time after time, and if they are still in this headset, that's the way I call it, where they're probably likely to offend or there's some things that let you know they maybe leaning toward this conduct, you can still monitor them. You can keep them in a facility or do some other type of monitoring.

KAGAN: Let me just jump in here. I want to ask you about a very difficult point, where I'm sure prosecutors and investigators find themselves with at this point. You have Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. He's been charged only with kidnapping. There's got to be this urge to throw the book at him. They have some type of evidence they believe ties him to the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, and yet this man holds the key, they believe, the information to where Dru Sjodin is. You can't throw the book at him. You need him, and you need his cooperation.

HAYES: The first thing they have to do is they have to talk to him. The most important thing is not getting a conviction. The most important thing is finding out where Dru is. You know, if they could talk to him, maybe he will tell them whatever they have to do to get -- find this woman and find she's still hoping, I'm hoping, is alive. And if they could just find her, from what he'll tell her, you know, I think that's the most important thing to do. Then worrying about whether it's going to be a kidnapping charge, a sexual assault charge or, you know, the most horrible, horrible charge, that's secondary. The point they need to do is just to have him tell what he knows, if anything, and impress upon him, this is really his last chance.

KAGAN: Well, let's hope they can get that kind of cooperation. Out of Grand Forks in Minnesota, Pamela Hayes, thank you for your insight. Appreciate it.

HAYES: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 3, 2003 - 11:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: On to another case in the news now. Kidnapping suspect Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. faces an extradition hearing this hour in Minnesota. Next door in North Dakota, volunteers are being bussed into Grand Forks today to help search for college student Dru Sjodin.
Joining us now to talk more about this case and the suspect, Pamela Hayes, a former sex crimes prosecutor, joining us here in New York.

Pamela, good morning.

PAMELA HAYES, FMR. SEX CRIMES PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: Whether or not Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. is responsible for the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, we will leave to the courts. However, it is shining a bright light on how the system works and how convicted sex offenders are allowed to go free unsupervised.

HAYES: That's unfortunate, yes, it is.

KAGAN: Let's talk about he is listed as a level three offender. What does that mean?

HAYES: Well, generally, level three is the highest offender level in the listings that you have. It usually means that this is a person who is extremely dangerous and is capable of re-offending. Consequently, that person's name, their information, is highly publicized, usually with the local police department, as well as on the Internet. And they've just cannot say with certainty that this person is never going to offend again, and they are more likely than not to offend. And that's why they are in this high category, which I think they referred to as level three.

KAGAN: And it does sound like the officials there, they held a public hearing. About 100 people showed up. People knew he was living in this particular community, where he was living with his mother. But the way the system works before that, because he served his entire sentence and there was no parole, he was released unsupervised.

HAYES: Yes, that is unfortunate. One of the things that I am familiar with is, in the state of New Jersey, where you have an individual who is violent, repetitive, serial, likely to offend again, one of the things they try to do, is they have a special sex offender treatment facility. That facility is separate from people who find themselves in the situation where they're convicted of rape, but they're not likely to do it again or there hasn't been any diagnosis, evidence to show that they're scientifically likely to do it again.

But in this instance what they do is they treat these people while they serve their sentence. So instead of just warehousing them, keeping them away from the public, not doing anything, what they do in a facility like Avanell (ph), which is in the state of New Jersey, is they actually treat these people, try to see what the problem is, and find out ways that, you know, society could be better able to deal with this type of factor.

But the other thing is, they have laws that, you know, somehow they turn this into a mental health issue. If you turn it into a mental health issue, you have the ability to continuously monitor this person by having them come in time after time after time, and if they are still in this headset, that's the way I call it, where they're probably likely to offend or there's some things that let you know they maybe leaning toward this conduct, you can still monitor them. You can keep them in a facility or do some other type of monitoring.

KAGAN: Let me just jump in here. I want to ask you about a very difficult point, where I'm sure prosecutors and investigators find themselves with at this point. You have Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. He's been charged only with kidnapping. There's got to be this urge to throw the book at him. They have some type of evidence they believe ties him to the disappearance of Dru Sjodin, and yet this man holds the key, they believe, the information to where Dru Sjodin is. You can't throw the book at him. You need him, and you need his cooperation.

HAYES: The first thing they have to do is they have to talk to him. The most important thing is not getting a conviction. The most important thing is finding out where Dru is. You know, if they could talk to him, maybe he will tell them whatever they have to do to get -- find this woman and find she's still hoping, I'm hoping, is alive. And if they could just find her, from what he'll tell her, you know, I think that's the most important thing to do. Then worrying about whether it's going to be a kidnapping charge, a sexual assault charge or, you know, the most horrible, horrible charge, that's secondary. The point they need to do is just to have him tell what he knows, if anything, and impress upon him, this is really his last chance.

KAGAN: Well, let's hope they can get that kind of cooperation. Out of Grand Forks in Minnesota, Pamela Hayes, thank you for your insight. Appreciate it.

HAYES: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com