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Nancy Grace

Britney Hospitalized After Custody Dispute Meltdown

Aired January 04, 2008 - 20:00   ET

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

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, GUEST HOST: Breaking news. Just in tonight, a bombshell loss for music superstar Britney Spears. She loses visitation rights with her two toddler boys, this after Spears is raced to the ER following a three-hour custody stand-off at her Studio City, California, estate. Police, paramedics, even -- get this -- the fire department called in when Spears refuses to hand over her two young sons to her ex. Kevin Federline was already granted temporary custody after Spears failed to comply with court-ordered drug testing and parenting classes.
Then last night, Spears was loaded onto a gurney and taken from her home to a hospital for medical treatment. Now she is reportedly on 72-hour lockdown for mental evaluation. At first, police said Spears appeared to be under the influence, but now they say she was taken to the ER for her own welfare. And just hours after that really bizarre scene, attorneys for both sides head to court, and Britney is the big loser.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some breaking news coming into us on the Britney Spears custody battle. Spears has just lost sole legal and physical custody of her sons, this coming after an emergency court hearing requested by her ex-husband, Kevin Federline. Visitation has been suspended pending further order of the court. That order stays in effect until January 14, when there will be another hearing to determine now where the case goes.

So what brought us to this point? Spears`s strange and sad trip to the hospital last night after what is being called three-hour stand-off with cops. Just what provoked Britney to supposedly hold her kids hostage when it was time to return them to Federline?

These are some images you`re seeing from last night`s event. Now, in one of them, you can even see Britney`s leg in a restraint. Of course, (INAUDIBLE) in the middle of this dangerous situation are two innocent little boys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, in for Nancy Grace. Music megastar Britney Spears is raced by ambulance to the hospital. As we go to air, Spears loses her visitation rights. At the heart of it all, two little boys and a very troubled mom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breaking developments in the custody battle over music star Britney Spears`s two sons, a Los Angeles court commissioner ruling that Spears will lose visitation with her toddler boys. Sole custody now goes to her ex, Kevin Federline.

Now, all this goes down after a bizarre three-hour custody stand-off at Spears`s California home. Last night, police called there when Spears, after a court-monitored visit, refuses to return the kids to Federline. Paramedics then rush the music star to Cedars-Sinai hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2007 was a train wreck of a year for her, and it appears that 2008 is not off to a good start, either. She was supposed to turn over custody of her sons to Kevin Federline`s bodyguards yesterday. They have shared custody of sorts. But she refused to do so.

Police were called to the scene to mediate the dispute. A few hours later, the ambulances arrived and carried her out on a gurney. What we do know right now is that Britney is currently in the hospital and she`s undergoing psychological exams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that, by the way, video from Hollywood.tv and Celebtv.com.

I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, in for Nancy Grace.

An already troubled superstar in crisis. Just when you thought it couldn`t get any worse, Britney loses the right to even visit her kids. A judge has just ruled she cannot see them. Tonight, Britney Spears remains hospitalized after a truly bizarre stand-off at her Los Angeles estate last night, where police literally removed her by strapping her on to a gurney.

For more on all these late-breaking developments, let`s go straight out to CNN correspondent Kareen Wynter in Los Angeles. Kareen, what is the very latest?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jane, I just want to add before getting to that, that I`ve been covering this story all day long, and you know, you`re just -- you`re so shocked. You know, you`re surprised over and over again when you see this young woman in such a sad state of affairs.

Now, you know, you pointed out at the top that officers are kind of sliding back with the original report, saying that when they arrived at the scene of her home last night that it seemed as if she was under the influence of something, whether it was alcohol or drugs. They didn`t elaborate at that time. But you know, bottom line, even if they`re stepping back on that, the point of the matter is now that something is seriously wrong with her.

We understand that she is still at Cedars undergoing some sort of evaluation. And let`s hope that she gets the treatment that she needs, whether it`s medical or something else. And as for the California law that they could, in fact, put into place, where it would basically open the doors to holding her for that time period, for 72 hours, you look at the state that she`s in, it seems as if it should be longer.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is such a shocker. It`s almost surreal to watch this unfold. I totally agree with you, Kareen. By the way, a lot of the video that we`re seeing there, Celebtv.com bringing it to us.

Let`s go straight out to David Caplan of "People" magazine. "People" magazine has been reporting a lot of the details, what their sources say happened inside the hope last night. David, lay it out for us. What happened?

DAVID CAPLAN, "PEOPLE": Yes, it`s actually pretty shocking. What happened last night is that Kevin Federline`s bodyguard came to the house to pick up the children. Now, the court-appointed monitor was at the house because she`s always at the house when Britney is with the children. Britney refused to give the kids.

So what happened is, the court monitor is getting ready to take out Preston, her son. He`s in the car with the monitor. Then the court monitor is trying to go Get Jayden, but she can`t get Jayden because Jayden is in a room with Britney, who`s locked the door and she won`t let anyone come in and she`s not going to come out. So there was this sort of frantic scene of trying to get Britney to open the door to let her kid out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now, what happened vis-a-vis these two youngsters? Because I`ve heard conflicting reports that they eventually went with a bodyguard to Kevin Federline. But I`ve also heard some reports that they might have gone to the hospital? Tell us about that, David.

CAPLAN: Yes. "People`s" reporting that the two sons, they were taken to the hospital. They were accompanied by the bodyguard and the court- appointed monitor. And then at about 5:00, 5:30 in the morning, then Kevin picked up the kids and then he took them to his home in Tarzana, California.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Kareen Wynter, CNN correspondent, not to disagree with David, but we`ve been hearing conflicting reports about this with the kids, and obviously, that`s crucial. I mean, imagine the children seeing more of this than they have to. What do you know about what happened with the kids?

WYNTER: I actually get goose bumps -- right now. See them? Count them -- one, two, three -- when I think of the fact that this all went down last night and they were there at the time.

Police wouldn`t go into detail about that, but they were clear at the time when we jumped on this story very, very late last night, when it was unfolding, that the children -- once they arrived at the scene, they were taken from Britney Spears, and in essence, placed in the custody of Kevin Federline, who may not have been there at that time. Maybe his bodyguards were there. But you know, figuratively speaking, they were removed from her care.

And there were also so many reports going around early in the morning that maybe Jayden was accompanying, you know, Britney Spears to the hospital. Was he injured? Los Angeles police, Jane, also confirmed that was absolutely not true. None of the boys actually went to the hospital. But where they went after that in terms of the location is really up in the air. They did not elaborate on that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, obviously, it`s a very chaotic scene, and we can agree to disagree on some little details because more will be revealed, as they say.

But let`s go to Lillian Glass, psychologist and an expert in body language. First of all, I have to ask you, we have seen so many different pictures of Britney Spears in various states. And at one point, she looks dazed, another distraught, another laughing. What do you make of it? How do you analyze what she is going through?

LILLIAN GLASS, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, it`s very interesting, Jane. When you do look at the body language of those photographs, it speaks volumes. First of all, you see her where she`s in shock. Her eyes are wide open. She doesn`t believe this is happening to her. And then you see her a little coquettish. She`s look and smiling at the police officer, who`s not paying any attention to her. He`s doing his job. So she can`t use manipulation there. So then you see her thrashing, getting very angry. And this is why she has been restrained, and you see the foot restraint.

It`s such a sad case in this situation because you know that when she is in the hospital right now, she is angry, angry, angry because she can`t use her manipulation techniques. She has gotten a real reality check here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She really has backed herself into a corner. So many issues to discuss -- the legal issues, the custody issues, the kids. But let`s go to the most immediate issue. Dr. Marc Siegel, internist and author of "False Alarm," former ER doctor at NYU Bellevue, what happens if, in fact, she`s on this 51/50 (ph), what exactly does that mean? And what happens after 72 hours?

DR. MARC SIEGEL, INTERNIST, FORMER ER DOCTOR: Well, Jane, the 51/50 means that they can keep her for 72 hours without her agreeing to it. After that, the psychiatrist can then say, I want another 72 hours. But at that point, she has a right for writ of habeas corpus. She can take it to court and contest it.

One very interesting thing here, Jane. They cannot compel her to take medication, no matter how agitated she is, unless it becomes an emergency situation. So it extends to they can keep her there, and it`s likely they did that because of agitation, that she might be a threat to herself, to others, or that she`s not thriving. Now, if she`s a threat to herself, they`re also going to probably put a suicide watch on her and put her on a one-to-one and have a nurse`s aid with her at all times.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, first of all, we want to tell you that the video you`re looking at is from Hollywood.tv. And you know, we have to approach this entire subject, I think, from a point of compassion because this woman obviously is in crisis and in tremendous pain.

One of the big questions, Kelli Zink of Celebtv.com, a host of that show, is whether she was high or not when all of this went down. Now, initially, the cops said she appeared intoxicated, she appeared under the influence of something. Then they backed off that statement. What do we know, Kelli?

KELLI ZINK, CELEBTV.COM HOST: Well, we know that reports are saying that her drug tests came back clean, so she wasn`t under the influence. And as you just stated, the LAPD says there was nothing in her system when they came to take her away. So now the big question is, what is going on with Britney Spears? And why is she just going completely against everything? It`s almost like she`s on her own planet, just continuing to resist any type of authority control. And now she`s in the hospital, and people are actually finally taking a stand. Her mother`s with her, her brother, her father...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait! Her mother`s with her?

ZINK: ... K-Fed...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I didn`t now that her -- let me jump in here for one second. I want to go back to David Caplan of "People" magazine for two issues. One, I wasn`t aware that she was given a clean bill of health on the drug test. Listen, the hospital isn`t even confirming that she`s there. How do we know for a fact that she got a clean bill of health on the drug test?

CAPLAN: We don`t know, actually. Earlier this morning, you`re right, police spokesperson Jason Lee (ph) told people that officers on the scene were under the impression that she seemed under the influence of some substance. But Britney was not given a breathalyzer or anything like that at the scene at her home. That`s important to note. These are merely the police officers` observations. So that`s in terms of the -- you know, the drug aspect there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And about the family, my understanding was the dad`s there, the brother`s on his way, mom and Jamie Lynn (ph), who of course, is the 16-year-old younger pregnant sister, are somewhere in Louisiana? Correct me if I`m wrong.

CAPLAN: Yes, correct. That`s right. Her mom and Jamie Lynn are both -- they were en route to Canwood (ph), Louisiana, their home town. The dad was the hospital. Brian, her older brother, was also en route to the hospital, expected sometime today, as well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We want to go to lawyers in just a second, and the phone lines are lighting up. But let`s go to Kevin Dixon, addiction specialist and national executive director of Intervention911.com. Kevin, you`ve been hearing all this debates. Was she, wasn`t she high or not? We certainly don`t know, and she deserves the presumption, certainly, that she wasn`t high. We can`t just assume. But you know, once the genie`s out of the bottle -- police say she appeared intoxicated -- people are going to ask the question. What do you know?

KEVIN DIXON, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Well, Jane, what I do know is that I deal with this and we deal with this across this country. There`s many families in America that have their own Britney Spears and...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but I`m talking about this Britney Spears right now. I mean, we know a year ago, she went into rehab, so she obviously has some addiction problem because people don`t go into rehab to get massages, they go in to cure an addiction problem.

DIXON: And that might be the case. And addiction takes many forms, you know, and we`ve seen it. And whether it`s, you know, addiction or the mental health issues, it`s the big issue, which is the choices she`s making in her life. And this is a perfect opportunity for the family that is coming to her side to, you know, bring in professionals that can deal with this because she`s at a bottom. She`s at an emotional bottom. She`s at a legal bottom. And with the right direction, you know, the family can take the direction of professionals where we can bring over and above a 72-hour psych hold, a three-step committal process, with the lawyers and the judicial system, in creating a process of saying that, We love you, but we`re not willing to love you to death.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, let me bring in the lawyers, Susan Moss, family law advocate and child advocate, and Christine Grillo, prosecutor who specializes in domestic violence, as well as Dan Horowitz, my good friend, defense attorney. Let`s start with Susan. I mean, all this back and forth, was she or wasn`t she. We know she went through rehab about a year ago. We know that back in September, the judge said, Based on the evidence presented, the court finds that there was habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substance and alcohol by petitioner. But then we also know that she was given random drug and alcohol tests since September, and there`s no word of her having failed any.

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Look, Brit is so unfit, she`ll be lucky if they don`t commit. But this is the best possible thing that could happen to her and to happen to her legal case. This is a young woman who needs help, needs a lot of help, and finally, finally she`s in a place where maybe she can get one. This is not a day to be upset, this is a day to be happy that maybe she will finally get the help she needs.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I`m sure that Britney Spears sitting on her gurney at Cedars is probably not celebrating anything. I think she`s probably experiencing what they call -- and I`m a recovering alcoholic myself, with, God willing, in April, 13 years of sobriety -- incomprehensible demoralization, which is what people experience.

But again, Christine Grillo, we have no evidence that she`s was high on anything. And TMZ is reporting she doesn`t have a drug and alcohol problem, that in fact, this is a mental illness.

CHRISTINE GRILLO, PROSECUTOR: Well, if it`s a mental illness -- well, first of all, we were talking about whether or not she could be presumed to not be on anything. I think the history that she`s demonstrated to America lately almost makes us presume that she is on something and that it`s going to require extra tests on the court`s part or whoever needs to examine this woman that something is clearly wrong.

And I think that in this situation, she -- because she`s gone -- like you said before, you don`t go into rehab for massages. Clearly, there`s a problem here. And I believe, OK, that, yes, she`s going to be committed, but legally speaking, they need to look into what is going on with her because she is bordering on endangering the welfare of her children, which is a misdemeanor crime, by the way...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. And you know...

GRILLO: She needs to be examined very closely because she is bordering on criminal activity at this point.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree with you. When we come back, we`re going to hear from Horowitz, who is going to, obviously, defend, as he would any good defense attorney, Britney Spears and her plight tonight. But you`re right. I mean, it`s all very confusing. And the one thing we know is that she needs help, and we all hope that she gets it.

To tonight`s "Case Alert." The search continues by land and air for 24-year-old Meredith Emerson, who disappears along with her Labrador retriever while hiking in the north Georgia mountains. Emerson has been missing since New Year`s day, police looking for a person of interest -- you`re looking at him right now -- Gary Michael Hilton. Several hikers report seeing Hilton with Emerson as their dogs ran together the day Emerson vanished. Police say Hilton, in his 60s, drives a 2000 or 2001 white Chevy Astro van. If you have any information, call the Union County Sheriff`s Department, and the number is right there, 706-439-6096.

On a much lighter note -- and we`ll give you that number again in just a few minutes -- tonight we have some very exciting news for you. Coming this Monday, video of Nancy and the twins will make its debut on the baby blog. Plus, check out messages from Nancy herself. That`s at CNN.com/nancygrace. And remember, we`re just days away from Nancy`s much anticipated return to Headline News. Nancy is back this Monday, 8:00 PM sharp Eastern. Be sure to join us for Nancy`s return. And also head to your nearest newsstand and pick up the latest issue of "People" magazine. Nancy gives an in-depth interview about the twins, plus brand-new photos. So be sure to check it all out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s more drama for Britney Spears. The pop star has been hospitalized following a three-hour custody dispute at her home last night. Reports are that she`ll undergo drug and psychological testing. Now, officers were called when she refused to return her two young sons to their father, Kevin Federline. The pop star left her home by ambulance. Federline currently has primary legal custody of their boys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s video from Hollywood.tv. I`m Jane Velez- Mitchell, in for Nancy Grace. The superstar, who makes more than $700,000 a month, proves money cannot buy you happiness. Tonight, Britney Spears sits in a hospital as the judge rules she cannot even visit her kids after yet another bizarre incident, where she`s taken from her home in a gurney.

Let`s go back to the attorneys and start with you, Dan Horowitz, defense attorney. You know, it seems like the whole world is beating up on this woman. We know that she has been dancing around this deposition that her ex-husband`s lawyer has been trying to get her into. And that happened just right before this meltdown. Is it that perhaps she`s so afraid that if she takes this depo all the way, she will reveal something that will cause her to lose her kids, so she`s hanging onto them?

DAN HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Jane, I see it more as a warfare scenario. First let me just make one comment. You are the first person I`ve seen cover this story with real understanding and compassion. And I think it`s so obvious that Britney Spears is under attack by Kevin Federline. He`s trying to break her, and this deposition is just another way to continue to break her down.

There are no secrets that she can reveal. She just needs some time away from the cameras and from the attention and from the courts, and they won`t give it to her because they`ve got her right where they want her. And they`re going to hit her for money. You watch and see. In the end, this, in my opinion, is going to be about Kevin Federline acting, in my opinion, like a pimp and trying to beat her down and take her money. I hate to say it, but he`s an evil man. That`s what I think.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, he`s not here to defend himself. Christine Grillo, prosecutor, you want to play K-Fed`s lawyer?

GRILLO: No, it`s not about being K-Fed`s lawyer, it`s just a point that you need to bring up that K-Fed is also a parent here and he also has responsibilities as a parent. And if he sees his children in a dangerous situation and does nothing to protect them, him failing or refusing to exercise reasonable diligence to control such an atmosphere that`s going to create such danger to his children, he, too, could be charged with endangering the welfare. He, too, is responsible for these children, and he`s acting as the responsible parent right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day the judge issued the ruling saying that she had to go to parenting classes, take random drug tests, she chose to go out to two nightclubs that night. And it was pretty apparent then that it was not registering with her how serious a problem this is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That is video from Hollywood.tv. I`m Jane Velez- Mitchell, in for Nancy Grace. More public humiliation for Britney Spears as she is strapped on to a gurney and taken to a Los Angeles hospital, where she remains tonight as she loses the right to even visit her kids.

The lines are electrified by this absolutely wild story. Annie from Canada, your question, ma`am?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Because she refused to return the baby, can she not be charged with non-custodial parental abduction?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Interesting question. Susan Moss, family law attorney.

MOSS: She can be charged, but the LA police today decided today that they were, in fact, not going to charge. Look, Britney is under the influence of crazy. Even the court monitor couldn`t get the child back for several hours. Apparently, Britney wanted to star in her own episode of "Cops." This is the best place for Britney, have her somewhere where she can get some help, and maybe one day, she can return to these kids` lives.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, Dr. Marc Siegel, did they really have to strap her onto a gurney and wheel her out with her legs actually strapped?

SIEGEL: Well, you know, Jane, you`re making a great point here. We really don`t need to see her humiliated or made fun of. I mean, you know, Susan`s right. We need a safety net here because we could lose her. But we also have to be very careful how we go about this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Los Angeles police officers responding to her home late last night and basically saying that it seemed as if she was under the influence of some sort of substance, whether it was alcohol or drugs. It was unclear.

When she was brought here to Cedar Sinai Medical Center, they wanted to test her to see if there was any substances in her system and also, more specifically, what her mental state was. When Britney Spears was when she was taken away from her home, the kids were placed back in Kevin Federline`s custody.

Now, Britney Spears only has limited supervised visits with her children and that`s because she has violated several court orders. That was a ruling that the commissioner in this case made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That is video from Hollywood.tv. I`m Jane Velez- Mitchell, in for Nancy Grace. A blizzard of late breaking developments in the Britney Spears saga. Just a little while ago, a judge takes away Britney`s right to visit her kids. This comes on the heels of a really, really bizarre spectacle last night, where Britney Spears is wheeled out of her L.A. estate on a gurney as paparazzi gives chase, that after she reportedly refused to turn over her kids to ex at the end of a scheduled visitation. Now that visitation right has been yanked.

Let`s go back out to CNN correspondent Koreen Wynter. What happens next? Is there another hearing scheduled? And what`s likely to go down there?

WYNTER: Absolutely, there`s another hearing scheduled for the middle of January, January 14. This order basically remains in effect until then. Both parties will regroup. We`ll see what the state of Miss Britney Spears is at that time. I doubt much will change because this is such a big story right now.

I want to go back to what Dan Horowitz was saying. I was absolutely sick to my stomach when I found out and consistently had to report today that Kevin Federline`s attorneys were calling this emergency hearing. I mean, this woman is in the hospital for crying out loud. If there`s any hope of her trying to get herself back together, get her life back on track, this is the last thing you want to do. So I think it was really a slap in the face, not just for Britney, but also the children involved here. The timing was absolutely horrible.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Guess what, David Caplan, "People Magazine," am I losing my mind or was there a photograph of Kevin Federline drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels with Paris Hilton recently?

CAPLAN: The two of them did spend New Years together in Las Vegas. They were at the same club. Kevin and Paris sort of little strange bed fellows, because, you know, Paris Hilton is sort Britney Spears` friend- enemy. They hung out a lot after she split from Kevin. There`s a lot. Britney`s ears must have been burning that night, I bet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. I want to bring the attorneys back in, Susan Moss, family law attorney, Christine Grillo, prosecutor, and Dan Horowitz, defense attorney. Let`s start with you, Dan. You just hear this report that Kevin Federline is drinking, but apparently it seems that he`s allowed to drink. The restrictions placed on him are not the same, apparently, as the restrictions placed on her.

HOROWITZ: Yes, it`s, you know, he really is an odd, kind of mean, man. There`s no question that he knew he would be seen doing what she can`t with the liquor, with a friend or a supposed friend. He`s just trying to hurt her. That`s my point. And of course she`s under such a microscope. How many times have we seen Nancy on the show say, why did protective services leave the children with the parents who hit them, beat them, didn`t feed them.

What we`re seeing here with Britney Spears is really very low level being blown so out of proportion. Yes, she needs help. Yes, she`s doing things that are not quite right, but she`s not the monster that she`s being made into on so many of these shows. But not this show, thank goodness.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It sounds like an argument that an attorney for Britney Spears might give at this next hearing. So Susan Moss, family law attorney, why don`t you take Kevin Federline`s case, how would you counter that argument?

MOSS: Kevin Federline had absolutely no choice. These were supervised visitation and the court ordered monitor could not get the child out of a locked room. You had a woman acting strangely with a young child locked in the room. They didn`t know what was going on. Needless to say, it took hours, hours to get that child out of that house.

If Kevin Federline had stood by and done nothing, just like our prosecutor says, he might be charged with neglect. We have many, many cases in New York, stopped after the Nicholson (ph) precedent, but many times many parents have been charged with neglect when they allow their children to be with an unfit parent.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you want to jump in, Dan, for a final response?

HOROWITZ: It`s just so overblown. Anybody who has ever had child custody battles, any of your viewers knows that what went on that night, not turning over one of the children for three hours, two hours, is very low level. Stop making such a big deal out of this and leave her alone. Give her some space.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Christine Grillo, prosecutor, play the role of the judge, because there`s a big difference between suspension of visitation and revoking her parental rights. What do you think will happen at this next hearing?

GRILLO: First of all, it`s not permanent. And if I were a judge overseeing this, Britney has been given a lot of opportunity to make this right. She has been given a lot of opportunities to show that she truly does care. But she has just ignored every chance that`s been given to her. Not only ignored it, she`s gone completely the other way, almost laughing at the court orders, not agreeing to do the drug tests, or not doing what the court is ordering her to do.

So as a judge, I would say now, for the next two weeks, you have no rights to your children. Yes, this is severe. But at this time -- and I disagree with this whole, what`s three hours alone with a baby. She hasn`t exactly demonstrated to anyone that she is of sane mind and body right now, and she`s locked herself in the room with one of her children. You just don`t know what`s going to happen.

And, you know, the monitor here, she waited. She didn`t go crazy. They waited and the police gave her a chance. We`re talking three hours. They negotiated with her for three hours and then they took action. Clearly they needed to take action at this time. And as a judge, I would be telling her, I have given you ample chances to show this court that you are capable and able to be the proper parent to these children and you have basically ignored every chance you have been given and proven that you`re not suitable to be the parent.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It seems that there`s a big divide on this issue. Let`s listen to what our callers have to say. Alali (ph), from Canada, your question?

CALLER: I want to say you`re doing a great job for Nancy.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, she`s back on Monday, so I hope you join us as well a on Monday when she returns.

CALLER: I will, for sure. Ever time I see any coverage on Britney Spears, I can`t get my mind around how many chances is Britney going to have. If this was, say, Jane Doe, a regular, average person, how many depositions would she be allowed to miss and how many drug tests would she be allowed to miss before they said no more? Britney, it seems to me, is given chance after chance after chance, when she really doesn`t deserve it. She doesn`t even seem to be trying.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: David Caplan, "People Magazine," let`s recap and review all the things that Britney has done, the highlights or the low lights, shaving her head, she`s done rehab, she`s run over some toes. Give us the big ones.

CAPLAN: With Britney there`s two. There`s the legal one and then there`s the strange behavior. So on the legal end, you have driving without a proper California driver`s license, driving under the influence. And then on the behavior, you`re right, she went to a salon, she shaved her head completely off. She -- one time when she was being followed by the paparazzi, she went into the Pacific Ocean just wearing her underwear and for a dip.

And then all the incidents with her babies, when they once fell out of a highchair, when she was in New York; she almost dropped one of them. So there`s this laundry list that really they span the whole spectrum of legal, of just every day bizarre behavior, of care giving. And that`s why a lot of people don`t have sympathy for her and don`t understand why she seems to get the chances.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kelli Zink, CelebTV.com host, you cover a lot of Hollywood. We also have to point out that she has no DUI record and no drug abuse record. Is she being unfairly prosecuted or persecuted, at this point, or both because she`s a celeb?

ZINK: I think Britney Spears has doing nothing right. She`s going out in public. She`s begging almost for paparazzi attention. She`s stealing lighters from gas stations. She`s not showing up for depositions. When she does show up, she`s showing up late.

I think Britney Spears is showing no regard for trying to be a good parent. And I think K-Fed, in this case, is doing the right thing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got to get back, when we come back, to this whole issue of is she an addict or isn`t she. She did go through rehab. The one thing that everyone who is a recovering addict or alcoholic, which I can say for myself, knows, once an addict, always an addict. We`ll discuss that in a moment.

On a much lighter note, be sure to check out Nancy`s Baby Blog, because coming this Monday, video of Nancy and the twins will make its debut. Plus, you can check out all the latest messages from Nancy herself. That`s at CNN.com/NancygRace. And remember, Nancy is back this coming Monday, 8:00 p.m. Sharp Eastern. Be sure to mark your calendars for Nancy`s return right here on Headline News.

Also, check out the latest issue of "People Magazine," because right inside those very pages, you will find Nancy`s in depth interview about the twins, plus brand new photos. It is all inside "People Magazine," on news stands right now. rMD+IN_rMDNM_

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police wore called to her home around 8:00 local time last night to mediate a custody dispute. Apparently, Britney wouldn`t turn over the kids at the appropriate time. They actually had to take Britney Spears out of her house, three hours later around 11:00, 11:30 on a stretcher. In the video, if you watch pretty closely, at one point she`s kicking really strongly.

It`s unclear if they had to restrain her. But there are photos of her in the ambulance where she`s grinning in one, and in another, she looks dazed and confused.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, in for Nancy Grace. As we cover this latest crisis involving Britney Spears, a big question remains, is she or isn`t she an addict. Let`s go to Kevin Dickson, addiction specialist and national executive director of Intervention 911. Kevin, analyze it, because this is what we know; she went to rehab a year ago, 30 days. And then a judge in the fall said, based on the evidence, the court finds there is habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol by the petitioner, namely Britney Spears.

Then he ordered random alcohol and drug tests twice a week. Now she hasn`t failed any of those random tests and she`s never gotten a DUI and she has no drug conviction. What do you make of it as an addiction specialist.

KEVIN DIXON, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Jane, I believe she does have an addiction issue. I do believe that she also has a mental health issue. It`s really about a dual diagnosis issue. That`s the clinical terminology. These are all red flags, as you have pointed out, a trip to rehab, because that`s exactly what it was. And you and I both know, Jane -- and I`m proud of you in your recovery, that treatment is a lifelong process and that these are all red flags, you know, the anger, the denial, the placating, the manipulating, the guilt, the shame, the remorse, all of these things she has exhibited.

So I really do believe she is an addict that is not taking accountability and responsibility for her disease. And I believe it`s a two-part disease. I believe there`s a dual issue here. Mental health as we saw last night, as well as the seedy issues. Because she hasn`t been pulled over for DUI or some of the other things we see in America, all of us think, well, to be an addict, you have to have these clear-cut DUI accidents or things of that nature.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kevin, I have to ask you that what perplexes me is that the police said initially that she appeared under the influence. Now, if somebody is on what they call a dry drunk, which we all know about, at least you and I do, and can explain to our viewers. That`s when you`re not drinking but you`re still exhibiting the behavior of an addict or an alcoholic, and you`re thinking like one. That doesn`t necessarily cause you to look like you`re under the influence. You`re just behaving alcoholically.

DIXON: Exactly, Jane, as you point out. I mean, untreated -- drug addiction or alcoholism, the irritability, the restlessness, the discontent, does that sound familiar? Both you and I know it does. The irritability last night, the restlessness, driving around Hollywood, the discontent. So, yes, that`s untreated addiction, I believe, is really what we`re talking about with a mental health issues.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lilian Glass, psychologist, body language expert, and author of "I Know What You`re Thinking." Boy, we would love to get inside Britney`s brain. What is your thought, is she or isn`t she, maybe she has a mental illness and is an addict.

GLASS: I think it`s both. I these she does have an issue with medication, over-medicating, whatever. But the main thing is there are so many issues psychologically. She may have so many disorders that we`re not aware of that we will become aware of when she goes through all of this testing in the hospital. We don`t know if she`s a borderline personality disorder, if she has bipolar disorder, if she has narcissism or a combination of all of these disorders.

She will being tested thoroughly so she can be medicated properly. What is a concern is that she needs to be participating in her rehabilitation as well. So it just can`t be a one-way street for her to get -- unless she works the program as well. Otherwise she won`t do well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Mark Siegel, internist and author of "False Alarm," and former ER doctor at NYU Bellevue, which I think is very significant, because obviously, that facility has dealt with a lot of people who have severe mental problems. You`re listening to all of this. The other possibility that occurs to me is prescription drugs. Would it be possible for a doctor to prescribe something for her that would make her appear intoxicated even though she wasn`t using an illegal or controlled substance?

DR. MARK SIEGEL, FMR ER DOCTOR: I agree with that, Jane. Keep in mind, there`s patient privacy issues here. We don`t really know what the results were in the hospital. We`re hearing reports that maybe they were negative. We don`t know if she agreed to all this testing. What you should know is that urine tox screens are going to test for things like Valium, like Opiates, Heroin, PCP, Marijuana, Alcohol. All these things -- alcohol -- all these things are really testable.

So if she really does have a clean bill on the tox screens, then it`s unlikely she has either prescription drug overdose or recreational drug overdose. But we don`t know that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And David Caplan, "People Magazine," we seem to forget also she`s 26 years old. And I like to remember when I was a 26- years-old how incredibly and wildly immature I was at that age. I didn`t have two children, thank god. But are we losing perspective? I mean, is this the kind of thing that really goes on in homes across America that because this girl is famous, we`re treating her like some sort of monster, when in fact she`s an immature 26-year-old who makes 737,000 dollars a month. And we have a full screen of her expenses that we can throw up.

CAPLAN: The thing with Britney, like any celebrity, is that celebrities mature at a rate far faster than anybody else. The way you were at 26 would be vastly different than Britney. Essentially, Britney, it`s like she`s way older for her years, so she should know better. That`s the thing. So she is out behaving in a way that`s not perceived as very difficult like. She should know better because, also, it`s in Hollywood. She`s surrounded by other people who have had, maybe not as severe, but other people who have had mental health issues.

It`s really tough. So hopefully she would have learned a lesson or two.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kelli Zink, CelebTV.com, what about the fact that she was a child star? They notoriously have problems. Look at Michael Jackson.

ZINK: Look at her own sister, Jamie Lynn, who`s now 16 and pregnant. It obviously has something to do with being a young child star. I can say at 26 I was never taking off my clothes and jumping in the ocean. I was never exhibiting any of these erratic behaviors.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Congratulations.

ZINK: I don`t think it`s normal. Thank you on that, but I don`t think it`s something we should just accept, especially for a mother of two who`s in the public eye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a look back on the stories and the people making the rest of the headlines this week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The custody battle between Britney Spears and Kevin Federline taking another strange turn last night.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The pop star has been hospitalized following a three-hour custody dispute at her home last night. Officers were called when she refused to return her two young sons to their father. The pop star left her home by ambulance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Reno, 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was calling to report a truck going the wrong way on 280 South.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He hasn`t crashed into anybody, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not yet.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ohio police say this man was drunk, three times the legal limit, when he rammed his pickup into a minivan loaded with a family of eight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re saying there`s an accident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A big accident.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A young woman and four small children, including an eight week old baby, killed instantly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re praying for Michael and Michael`s family too. He didn`t go out that night planing on hurting anybody. You need to realize it could be your son in those shoes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The search for a missing hiker in the north Georgia mountains, Meredith Emerson. And a person of interest, Gary Michael Hilton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re calling him toothless, weathered. I can only imagine if he had perfect teeth and was dressed head to toe in Eddie Bauer if he would be making such a big deal. Everybody who was on the mountain is a person of interest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, let`s stop to remember Army Specialist Vincent Madero, just 22 from Point Whynini (ph), California, killed in Iraq. On a second tour of duty, awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terror Service Medal. Always wearing a smile, he loved making others happy, and exchanging journals with his new bride. He also loved camping, photography, art work and music. He dreamed of becoming a state trooper or a firefighter in Alaska. He leaves behind parents, Blas and Cybil, older brother Daniel, his sister Casey, grieving widow Ellen and stepson James.

Vincent Madero, an American hero.

We want to thank all of our guests tonight for their insight. Thanks to you at home for tracking this very interesting case with us. Remember to visit Nancy`s Baby Blog at CNN.com/NancyGrace. And we hope to see you tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern. Have a terrific and a very safe evening.

END