Return to Transcripts main page
Nancy Grace
Tiger Had Local Cops on Payroll, Says Report
Aired May 18, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. Golf superstar Tiger Woods drives out of his multi-million-dollar compound barefoot, 2:00 AM, has a head-on collision with a tree and a fire hydrant. As alleged mistresses hit double digits, mistresses including a swimsuit model, a fetish model, porn stars and a waitress at a pancake house, Woods gets just a slap on the wrist, even though cops know he was allegedly drinking and prescribed painkillers and sleeping pills.
Bombshell tonight. Is there a cover-up? A new report revealing Woods had local cops on his private payroll the night of the crash. So reports "The National Enquirer." Did police hide what really happened the night Woods smashed his luxury SUV? Did Woods buy not only silence but cooperation? Windermere police chief says no, but Florida Highway Patrol officers were denied access to Woods and his medical records, claims surfacing investigators say their hands were tied from the start.
This as Woods backs out of the prestigious Players championship after only six holes. Woods`s golf game on hold after claims he cheated with a neighbor`s daughter who`s known the golf great since she was just 14. Divorce allegedly back on the table as Woods`s alleged mistress number one pitches her own reality show. Claims emerges she shakes down another star after an affair during his marriage, a marriage with two children and a pregnant wife. Did Woods`s alleged mistress set out to become a homewrecker?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking news. Is there a cover-up in the Tiger Woods investigation?
911 OPERATOR: What happened? What`s wrong?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a neighbor. He hit the tree.
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I have a lot to atone for.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The accident occurred as Woods ran his SUV over a fire hydrant and then crashed into a tree.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The National Enquirer" reporting Woods had multiple off-duty police officers on his payroll at the time of the crash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We came out here just to see what was going on. I see him and laying down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re talking about the most iconic sports figure and one of the biggest celebrities on the planet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did they influence the investigation?
GRACE: Was there a police report, such as striking a fixed object?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was procedure followed?
GRACE: I know if I ran into a fire hydrant and a tree, the police would be talking to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His lawyer has said that it`s his right to not speak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three times not the charm for investigators trying to get Tiger Woods to talk about his late night driveway crash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is strange that we have seen these broken appointments.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With questions swirling around him and the Florida Highway Patrol turned away three times, that has a lot of people even more curious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators never got access to blood work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We cannot speak to the existence of any blood evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There had to be something that caused him to lose control of his vehicle and to strike those objects.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And law enforcement was denied access to Woods for days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time you stonewall the cops three days in a row, you look like you`re hiding something or looking like you`re guilty of something terrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, live, North Dakota. A 3-year-old toddler alone in the middle of a busy highway, the baby-sitter allegedly high on weed, smoking pot while cops find baby on a four-lane.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A baby-sitter has been arrested after police say she was smoking marijuana while the 3-year-old she was supposed to be watching was walking on a highway. Eighteen-year-old Chelsea Walkingeagle (ph) has been charged with felony child abuse and neglect after police reportedly say she left the 3-year-old for 20 to 30 minutes while she was smoking pot in the garage. The child was found wandering down state highway 20 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Police soon arrived and found Walkingeagle in an apartment about 200 yards away. Walkingeagle is expected to enter a plea at her next hearing June 17th and could face up to five years behind bars if convicted.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. Is there a cover-up? We wondered at the time, but now reports emerging that reveal Tiger Woods had local cops on his private payroll the night of the crash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: With an estimated $300 million pre-nup and two little children hanging in the balance, what really happened to Tiger Woods?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What led up to the crash that we learned that Elin had found Tiger`s phone, and on it, she had seen text messages.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elin has shown enormous grace...
GRACE: The facts really don`t seem to hang together between his and his wife`s story about what happened that night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and poise throughout this ordeal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The investigation has determined that Mr. Woods is at fault in the crash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My two officers arrived at the scene and noticed Tiger Woods laying on the ground.
911 OPERATOR: Is he unconscious?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Are you able to tell if he`s breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I can`t tell right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This story just doesn`t make sense. You don`t get up out of your bed at 2:00 AM, drive your car and run it into a tree.
WOODS: Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were reports that there was a domestic dispute before Tiger Woods left his house in the SUV.
WOODS: Elin never hit me that night or any other night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were some reports that what actually happened was that she struck the SUV with a golf club. Her story was that she actually used that to get him out.
WOODS: There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Who`s to believe what Tiger Woods says now, now that reports are emerging there is a cover-up ongoing, not just at the time of the crash, running into a fixed object, a tree and a fire hydrant, but even now?
Straight out to Barry Levine, executive editor, "National Enquirer." Barry, thank you for being with us.
BARRY LEVINE, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER": Sure. Of course, Nancy.
GRACE: What do you know?
LEVINE: Well, what we know this tonight, Nancy, is that almost six months to the time of the infamous car crash in Florida, we find out now that Tiger Woods had two part-time officers on that local police force on his private payroll. This raises major questions tonight about the possibility of a cover-up. Was there influence exerted by these two individuals with the police force?
Now, the fact is, both officers were not on the scene that night. They were not part of the responding officers to the crash. However, the disclosure that we`ve learned this week that he was paying police officers raises questions that retired FBI agents tell us puts, you know, tremendous doubt on the actual cooperation by the police.
GRACE: Well, Barry, it puts everything in doubt because way back when, when the crash first started, there were inconsistencies in the police reports and what neighbors, what witnesses had to say. Specifically, remember about wife Elin Nordegren says she -- I believe she said she walked down, then she said she took a golf cart down. Neighbors saw a golf cart. Then he was lying out on the ground. Some said he was bleeding. Some said he was snoring. Some said he was talking. There were a lot of inconsistencies that night.
How many of the local PD does Tiger Woods have on his payroll?
LEVINE: Well, what`s interesting, Nancy, is that we know that two of these officers have worked for Woods, and they have continued working for Tiger`s wife, Elin. We have pictures of them guarding her and taking her to Seaworld in Florida and to a medical center with the kids for a check- up.
GRACE: You`re seeing them right now. Barry Levine with "The National Enquirer," we`re showing the two cops you referred to right now. Go ahead, Barry.
LEVINE: Tim Cash and John Hein. And the fact is, this is a police force that`s not like the New York City police force, where you have more officers in one precinct here in New York. This is a police force in Windermere, Florida, where there`s only 24 officers in total. So two of these gentlemen obviously exert some influence with the rest of the force.
Now, the police chief tells us this is a smear, that there is no cover-up, that he has fully cooperated. However, that flies in the face, let me tell you, of the local county police, who have told us that Windermere`s cooperation in this investigation has been counterproductive to the ongoing investigation. That`s the word that the official used, "counterproductive." So there`s a lot of questions tonight on whether or not this involvement by the local police, that he had these cops that he was paying on the side, influenced the investigation.
And the fact is, as we know, the Florida Highway Patrol aggressively pursued the blood work, the medical tests that were done on Tiger, to answer some of these questions. Was he drunk? What was the influence of the Ambien and Vicodin that he had been taking? We`ll never know now because the local authorities refused that request to the state police.
GRACE: Well, you`re saying that the cops are saying, alleging, that the local Windermere police force is being counterproductive. And I see what our banner is tonight, Did cops investigating Woods`s crash give him special treatment? It`s more than just special treatment, what you`re alleging. What you are saying is that there is an ongoing cover-up in which Woods, Tiger Woods, voted the Athlete of the Year, is a major player, in fact, at the center of a
And the reality is, you can talk your way out of a DUI, out of a traffic infraction, but you can`t talk your way out of a police cover-up, and that`s what we`re talking about.
Out to the lines. Valerie in Georgia. Hi, Valerie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, first I have a comment and then I have a question.
GRACE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First I want to say that, number one, I love your show and I think that you`re a really great person. And I think your twins are gorgeous.
GRACE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so I would like to know, do you think that there is any possible reconciliation between Elin and Tiger Woods, I mean, considering what they`ve gone through?
GRACE: Well, I tell you what, Valerie. I think that there was a chance for reconciliation. But according to what we have learned about an alleged affair between Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren`s neighbor girl, that he knew since she was 14, I think all bets are off.
What about it, Ellie Jostad?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, "The New York Daily News" reported that Tiger did admit to Elin that he was with over 120 women during their marriage, but apparently he left one out. That was that neighbor. And when she found out, she was furious, decided to end the marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don`t get up out of your bed at 2:00 AM, drive your car and run it into a tree.
WOODS: I need you to do me a huge favor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were reports that there was a domestic dispute before Tiger Woods left his house.
WOODS: My wife went through my phone and may be calling you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A new report in "The National Enquirer" says Tiger Woods paid cops from the same police department who were probing his Thanksgiving SUV crash to work personal security for him.
911 OPERATOR: Is this an auto accident?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it was an auto accident. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger Woods was actually passed out cold (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Impairment (ph) of Woods was suspected due to careless driving that resulted in the traffic crash. The officers on the payroll, off duty. But did Woods receive preferential treatment?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... shoeless and snoring on the lawn...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do know that Tiger Woods was not given a breathalyzer test.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Windermere police say the charges are a smear campaign and aren`t true.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was determined that there was insufficient evidence available to issue a subpoena for any additional medical information that might exist in this case.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His blood and urine were not tested for drugs or alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... a full-blown Tiger Woods scandal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With Tiger Woods pulling out of golf again, what`s happening in his personal life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were some reports that what actually happened was that she struck the SUV with a golf club.
WOODS: Elin deserves praise, not blame.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are no claims of domestic violence by any individual.
WOODS: It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rumors of pending divorce continue to swirl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls, this as reports emerging Tiger Woods is part of a cover-up, part of a cover-up including police on his payroll. Now, there`s nothing wrong with a cop working a second job. Cops make practically nothing, and they`ve got one of the most important jobs in our country. Many of them have second jobs. They`re called seconds. That`s not unusual.
But Barry Levine, executive editor, "National Enquirer," the fact that there`s an ongoing investigation with Tiger Woods of Tiger Woods and his wife Elin, combined with all the inconsistencies we observed that night, the night of the crash -- it`s a problem.
LEVINE: Nancy, I mean, first of all, the police chief should have told us up front six months ago that there were cops on -- you know, on the force who have a relationship with Tiger Woods. These are things that should have been pointed out early on. The fact that we`re only finding this out now is quite shocking.
We`re also looking into the background of these cops. It`s interesting, of course, Tiger claims there`s never been domestic violence between him and Elin. In fact, both these cops have a bit of a checkered past in the sense that they`ve both been involved in domestic violence disputes. One resigned from one law enforcement agency.
So you know, there`s an indication that Tiger looked into the backgrounds of these officers, knew that they had problems in the past, and there`s a belief among expert that we`ve talked to that maybe, if he had these guys working for him, that he might be able to get away with a little more in his local community. It raises all kinds of new questions.
GRACE: To Clark Goldband, our producer on the story. Clark, go through what police say happened that night. Show us the picture.
CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: You got it, Nancy. We have a diagram on the screen behind me. And we`re talking about not one collision, not two collisions, but three collisions. Tiger Woods driving his 2009 Escalade turns left here out of his home, but he makes a really wide left, drives over the median, runs over some plants, and then still driving wide left, hits the curb and the hedges. He then immediately makes another sharp left, piling into this fire hydrant right here. But Nancy, the Escalade does not stop. Woods plows straight into a tree, his final resting place.
GRACE: His final resting place. Well put, Clark Goldband.
Now, here`s my question. Out to you, Andrew J. Scott. You`re a former chief of police, now with Scott-Roberts Associates in Miami. What do you make of that report? If I had done that in a car or you had done that in a car, there would have been charges.
ANDREW J. SCOTT, FMR. CHIEF OF POLICE, BOCA RATON: Oh, without a doubt. You would have been arrested, most likely on the spot. You would have had either blood drawn at the hospital, or the subpoena that was quashed by the state attorney`s office up there would have been issued. And I think there are far more reaching tentacles here than just the two part-time police officers that are on his payroll at this juncture.
GRACE: Like what?
SCOTT: Well, actually, you know, we have to go back to the prosecutor`s denial of the Florida Highway Patrol subpoena to get his blood work. I find that very perplexing, and it doesn`t make sense.
GRACE: I`ve never seen it in all my years, over 20 years of practicing law, where cops asked for the blood results and they can`t get it. Never seen it, Andrew.
SCOTT: Neither have I. It`s been very -- it`s very unusual.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger set up a phone call so his alleged mistress could convince his wife that the relationship was platonic. But when Elin found out she was being played the fool, she went off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She then confronted him and they had an argument. And what does Tiger do? He takes an Ambien and goes to sleep. She turns into detective. She looks through his text messages and she finds one that really hits her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: 911. What`s your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need an ambulance immediately. I have someone down in front of my house. They hit a pole.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Florida Highway Patrol is saying on the record only that he was bleeding from his mouth. Tiger Woods in his own statement said that he had cuts, bruises, and he was very sore.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Woods has satisfied the requirements of Florida law.
GRACE: Nobody knows where he was going at 2:30 AM?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the issuance of this citation, the Florida Highway Patrol has completed its investigation into this matter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The media doesn`t go away in these situations. When you`re that famous, they`re going to only have more interest if there`s anything scandalous or potentially scandalous involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Out to Geri in California. Hi, Geri.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On this Tiger Woods thing, I think, you know, like, with the sex, you know, rehab thing he went to, I think it`s all going to, you know -- you know, whether it`s -- I think he`s going to be fine in the beginning, with the counseling and everything. But I think down the road, it`s going to all happen again.
GRACE: You know, interesting question. Caryn Stark, when you don`t know a horse, look at his track record. And if what Ellie Jostad is reporting tonight, sources claiming he had over 120 affairs during the marriage and he just accidentally left out the neighbor girl next door that he`s known since she was 14, can you really expect him to change his spots?
CARYN STARK, PSYCHOLOGIST: I can`t imagine that he`d be able to do it, Nancy, because you`re talking about somebody who`s addicted. And it`s so hard to break an addiction, particularly this kind of an addiction. So I mean, here`s the neighbor`s daughter. Nothing stops him. So I think he could say whatever he wants, but it`s really going to be a struggle.
GRACE: Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, victims` rights attorney who represents a couple of the alleged mistresses, Gloria Allred, joining us out of LA, Eleanor Odom, prosecutor out of New York, Raymond Giudice, defense attorney, Atlanta, Anne Bremner, high-profile lawyer out of Seattle. Welcome, everybody.
Gloria, weigh in.
GLORIA ALLRED, REPRESENTS TWO TIGER WOODS ALLEGED MISTRESSES: Well, I think that Tiger Woods has a lot of challenges in explaining exactly what happened that night in question.
GRACE: Well, that is certainly putting perfume on a pig, that he`s got a lot of challenges.
(LAUGHTER)
GRACE: Gloria, let`s just cut to the chase. What about one of your clients, Rachel Uchitel? Is it true she`s pitching a reality show about herself? Do we really need to see that? Haven`t we seen enough of Rachel Uchitel by now?
ALLRED: Well, I have no comment on whether or not Rachel Uchitel is - - is planning to do anything else in the future. If she is, she`ll announce it when it`s time.
GRACE: Sounds like a big yes to me!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODS: Hey. It`s -- it`s Tiger. I need you to do me a huge favor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The investigation has determined that Mr. Woods is at fault in the crash.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were reports that there was a domestic dispute before Tiger Woods left his house.
WOODS: My wife went through my phone and may be calling you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Really damaged. Are you surprised they did not give Woods -- Tiger Woods -- a sobriety test, a breathalyzer or a blood alcohol test?
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: What happened? What`s wrong?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a neighbor, he hit the tree.
GRACE: Was there a police report such as striking a fixed object? I know if I ran into a fire hydrant and a tree, the police would be talking to me.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK, and are they trapped inside of the vehicle?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. They`re laying on the ground.
GRACE: I`ll tell why you people are pouncing on this. Because the story doesn`t add up.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: Is it a car accident, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s a car accident, yes.
GRACE: I care about why he apparently is getting treated differently than everybody else driving in the streets of this country.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: It was an auto accident?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. There was an auto accident, yes.
GRACE: They would read you your rights, they put handcuffs on you for striking a fixed object, and they want to know what the hay were you doing out at 2:30 in the morning up in somebody`s yard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have someone down in front of my house. They hit a post.
GRACE: The cop`s business when you run over a fire hydrant and when you run into a tree, especially if you`ve been on a public road, that would suggest that you need a breathalyzer or a blood alcohol test.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: Is he unconscious?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK. Are you able to tell if he`s breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I can`t tell right now.
GRACE: If I ran down a fire in hydrant and a tree, the cops would take my blood alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: He`s trapped inside of the vehicle or is he on the ground?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We`re just trying to get the police there right now. We don`t know what happened.
GRACE: I`d have a breathalyzer, I`d be, you know, given my rights. I can`t even cash a check at the grocery store, all right, without all of this I.D. So where is the charge of striking a fixed object?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls. I want to go back to Clark Goldband, our producer on the story.
Clark, as I recall that evening when the crash first emerged, there were inconsistencies. Can you show me at all or tell me where was Elin Nordegren, the wife, standing? Where did -- when did she show up?
CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: It`s not clear from the actual police report, Nancy. But I can show you Woods` home.
GRACE: OK.
GOLDBAND: And it`s right here. In fact, the vehicle that we were talking about, this Cadillac Escalade, didn`t travel very far. It took a circuitous route there and ended up all the way along here in front of the neighbor`s driveway where it hit that tree. So she was likely in this zone between Woods` home and the neighbor`s home.
GRACE: What about it, Ellie? Do you recall?
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Well, Nancy, some of the responding officers said that when they arrived, Elin Nordegren was actually hovering over her husband, over Tiger Woods. And, you know, she didn`t speak to anybody at the time.
But then when investigators asked her, had he been drinking, she said yes, earlier this evening. She also brought out two pill bottles -- one containing Ambien, the other containing pain killers -- and said that he had taken those at some point during that day.
GRACE: Eleanor Odom, so many inconsistencies in the police report. Not only about what Tiger Woods was doing, whether he was drinking or on some prescribed pills and driving. But about Elin Nordegren`s involvement as well.
So if any of this is true, that the editor of the "National Enquirer" has printed, and you know, you can get sued. You will get sued if you print detrimental and untrue information. Slander, libel. But the "Enquirer" printed it anyway and nobody has heard of any lawsuits yet.
It`s all very disturbing. This would never have happened if you or I had run over a tree and a fire hydrant. We would be in jail.
ELEANOR ODOM, PROSECUTOR: Of course not, Nancy, and what`s even worse is that the prosecutors didn`t use a search warrant, which you can do and which we`ve done regularly, to get the results of that blood alcohol level from Tiger Woods.
So you can see if there`s any alcohol or drugs in his system. Because I can tell you this, Nancy. You don`t just casually drive out of your home and hit three different objects on your way out the driveway. You`re either under the influence or you`re running scared.
GRACE: Ray Giudice, weigh in.
RAY GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, that`s all well and done. But guess what, his lawyer got him to plead quick to that traffic violation. That case is closed. He will not be charged with a DUI even if they go get the blood test now. He will not be charged with a DUI even if the wife says he was drinking and taking pills.
I will admit, that`s res judicata. That`s collateral estoppel. That`s double jeopardy. However, I will concede that if there is some kind of ongoing after-the-fact effort by Mr. Woods or anyone else to cover up this, that`s a separate crime.
I don`t think that would be covered by double jeopardy. And if the evidence was there, as this newspaper is alleging --
GRACE: You don`t think it would.
GIUDICE: -- that could be investigated.
GRACE: Ray, you know --
GIUDICE: I don`t think it would.
GRACE: How about a flat-out, it would not be covered by double jeopardy? The waffling you`re doing right now, you should be a chef.
GIUDICE: There`s no --
GRACE: A short order cook because, Anne Bremner --
GIUDICE: Well, no, I`m a defense lawyer and I`m defending my client.
GRACE: Yes, I heard --
GIUDICE: And I`m not conceding anything to you.
GRACE: Anne Bremner, the reality is that if there is a cover-up, it`s not part of a DUI. It`s a completely different offense. And it`s much more serious.
ANNE BREMNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It`s much more serious, but, you know, it`s like inquiring minds want to know here, Nancy. I`ve been listening very carefully to what we`ve heard from the "Enquirer." (INAUDIBLE) may be on John Edwards.
They`re careful. They`re not saying this is a cover-up. They`re saying someone made a comment about this and with respect to these officers, there is no evidence right now that they`ve done anything to cover up anything. And there is no evidence that`s saying --
GRACE: Anne Bremner.
BREMNER: -- in the police reports that they`ve done.
GRACE: You`ve tried a lot of cases, haven`t you?
BREMNER: I have. And I also represent police officers.
GRACE: And you`ve tried all sorts of cases. Right?
BREMNER: Yes, I have.
GRACE: The full gamut. You`ve been involved in cases in America, in Italy, all over the world. Frankly, you`ve had a hand in them. All the way back to what was her name? The teacher?
BREMNER: Mary Kay Letourneau.
GRACE: Letourneau. You`re in the middle of that.
BREMNER: Right.
GRACE: Long story short, Anne Bremner, have you ever, in all of the cases you`ve handled, seen police request a blood result where alcohol or drug consumption was suspected? Have you ever seen that request turned down?
BREMNER: Nancy, I --
GRACE: Ever? Once?
BREMNER: I knew you`re going to ask me that. And I have not as a prosecutor has those kinds of cases.
GRACE: Is that a no?
BREMNER: That -- you know what?
GRACE: OK.
BREMNER: That`s an N/A. Not applicable. Because I have not had those types of cases.
GRACE: But you`ve never seen a police request for blood results turned down in any case?
BREMNER: Not applicable because I`m not handling vehicular types of cases. So, you know what? Those are things --
GRACE: I`m going to take that as you getting out of the question.
BREMNER: No.
GRACE: And as a big fat no because if it were the other way around, you`d be screaming it right now.
BREMNER: But you know what? They asked for it. They asked the prosecutor for it. So that`s the cops. So, again, these police officers have done nothing wrong. We --
GRACE: OK.
BREMNER: -- use private security and police all the time.
GRACE: Thanks, Anne.
BREMNER: All these countries whether --
GRACE: Yes, but that`s just not what I asked you.
BREMNER: Me, you, or Tiger Woods.
GRACE: But thank you for continuing on.
BREMNER: Sure.
GRACE: N/A. An inapplicable question.
BREMNER: Yes.
GRACE: To Alexis Terezcuck, reporter with Radaronline.com, and so much more has happened. Fill us in.
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, REPORTER, RADAROLINE.COM: Well, since this has happened, Tiger and Elin are no longer speaking to each other. She moved out of the family home a few months ago. She moved about a mile away in the same development, still a really nice home.
But -- and she used to spend some time with Tiger. They`ve actually played tennis together. We saw them even kissing each other. But the communication has completely broken down. They`ve both hired lawyers.
GRACE: Alexis, what about Rachel Uchitel? Has there been reports that his alleged mistress number one has also turned up in another alleged affair with a married man who is a celebrity?
TERESZCUK: Yes, she has. There is a man, David, who`s on the show "Bones." His last name is Boreanaz, I`m sorry if I`m not saying that right. And she has admitted as he that she had an affair with him.
There were text messages between the two of them released that seemed like she felt like they painted her in a bad light so she came out and made a statement, saying, I didn`t want to talk about this relationship because it was private, but I felt like I was being portrayed wrong because he really did like me. So that was her side of the story with a married man. Another one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: After he crashed his SUV, neighbors say they found Tiger Woods lying on the ground without any shoes on.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Tiger Woods was actually passed out cold.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) was suspected due to careless driving that resulted in the traffic crash.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Shoeless and snoring on the lawn.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A North Dakota baby-sitter has been arrested for allegedly smoking marijuana while the 3-year-old she was baby-sitting was wandering down a busy highway.
Police arrested 18-year-old Chelsea Walkingeagle and charged her with felony child abuse and neglect. Cops reportedly say Walkingeagle left the 3-year-old alone for 20 to 30 minutes while she went to smoke pot in the garage with a few others.
Walkingeagle has been let out of jail on condition she pass regular drug tests. She`s expected to enter a plea during her next hearing June 17th.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Out to Eric Arndt, news director, KZZY FM Radio.
Eric, the baby is out on a busy highway while the baby-sitter is smoking weed? What happened?
ERIC ARNDT, NEWS DIRECTOR, KZZY FM RADIO: According to the Ramsey County Sheriff`s Office, the child likely been on the highway for several minutes in traffic with drivers pulling over and taking other action to avoid hitting the child.
After the deputy had been talking to the child for several minutes, the suspect Chelsea Walkingeagle and another person came looking for the child. The (INAUDIBLE) say the child had apparently been left unattended in the back of a parked vehicle and got out and walked the approximately 50 yards to the highway.
GRACE: Fifty yards?
ARNDT: Correct.
GRACE: What more can you tell me, Rupa Mikkilineni?
RUPA MIKKILINENI, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, we know that they were in an apartment complex. It was about 50 yards from the highway. We know that she -- the child was supposed to be babysat by Chelsea Walkingeagle. Yes.
And we also know that she was with her uncle and her cousin in a garage allegedly smoking pot. Now she doesn`t admit that she was smoking pot. The other two were smoking pot and the police officer who was with the child ran into the cousin who was looking for the child and then later on Chelsea came around the corner and said I was supposed to be baby- sitting the child and she was then arrested.
GRACE: Fifty yards. That`s half a football field. Out to a busy highway. A 3-year-old in danger. What was her excuse, Rupa?
MIKKILINENI: She said she got caught up talking with her uncle and cousin who she claims were smoking pot. She said she wasn`t.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Dawn in California. Hi, Dawn.
DAWN, CALLER FROM CALIFORNIA: Hi, Nancy. How are you? I`m so glad to finally get through to you. You`re wonderful. Love your show, love your children.
Now I have a question. What was the babysitter thinking leaving the baby in the car for 30 to 40 minutes while she gets high with family members? I mean, is the parents going to be liable for this too? Or what? I mean what`s going on with that?
GRACE: Yes, where were the parents, Eric Arndt?
ARNDT: According to authorities, the mother was at work at the time.
GRACE: What about the father?
ARNDT: We have no information on his whereabouts at the time of the incident.
GRACE: Are they married? I mean do they live together? Are they raising the child together?
ARNDT: Authorities haven`t really provided any information on that, Nancy. All we do know is that she does face a maximum penalty of five years in prison if she is convicted.
GRACE: To Brad Lamm, board registered interventionist, author of "How to Change Someone You Love," at Bradlamm.com. Weigh in, Brad.
BRAD LAMM, CERTIFIED INTERVENTIONIST, AUTHOR OF "HOW TO CHANGE SOMEONE YOU LOVE": Well, she smoked pot and she got caught. And I`d like to see her get a diversion program of some kind. Not just throw the book at her. But I don`t like just locking folks up alone.
I like to taking that opportunity and trying to get them help. I think throw something at her. I`d like to throw a treatment at her instead of just jail.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Wendy in Missouri.
WENDY, CALLER FROM MISSOURI: Hi, Nancy? Nancy? Hello?
GRACE: Yes, dear. What`s your question?
WENDY: God bless you. Thank God I finally got through. First I have a comment and then I have a question.
I just wanted to say -- I want to thank you for showing pictures of your children because all these disgusting cases about these poor children every single day, and I just sit here and cry watching you every night and then when we see those precious babies that you show the pictures of, it makes me smile.
GRACE: Well, I can`t tell you what I would do if I found out that the twins were out walking up and down the street. They`re almost this age. They`re 2 and a half.
WENDY: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. But you know what? That`s never going to happen.
GRACE: I pray to God.
WENDY: No, because you would not let that happen. People these days just let anybody watch their children. I`d like to know how old this baby sitter was. And you know, Nancy, thanks to you, from watching your show every single day, I`m so protective over my children.
I have four children and I would die without hesitation. Just as you would for your children. I don`t -- have never left my children with anybody but my mother because you don`t know. You don`t know who anybody is.
Of course they`re going to act like they`re nice and good with children. And look what happens. It`s just sickening.
GRACE: You know, I`m just thinking about what you said. You know, you said you have four. I always wanted four. But I got started so late. I only had two. I just wish I could have two more just like John David and Lucy.
But, you know, to answer your question, she`s 18 years old. And take a look at this photo. She doesn`t care. Look.
Eleanor Odom, Ray Giudice, Anne Bremner, what if your client caught that attitude in her mug shot -- Anne Bremner?
BREMNER: Well, I wouldn`t be very happy about it and she wouldn`t do it if she`s my client, if I had a chance to talk to her beforehand. But you know what, Nancy, in this case, the question is, was she smoking pot or wasn`t she? As we`ve heard, she said she wasn`t.
GRACE: Well, I guess case closed, Eleanor.
ODOM: Yes.
GRACE: She said she wasn`t. OK, thanks, Anne. Case closed. We can move on to something else now.
BREMNER: Well, there`s no evidence she was.
GRACE: Other than the garage reeking and her being out there?
BREMNER: She`s around other people who were smoking pot. That`s what we know right now.
GRACE: Hold on. Eric Arndt, what is the evidence that she was smoking pot?
ARNDT: The judge did make a comment at her last court hearing last week that apparently a drug test that she did take after she was taken into custody did come back positive.
GRACE: OK. Let`s do a little close-up on Bremner right now. Where is Anne Bremner in the mix? I don`t see her.
BREMNER: Well, you know what? She --
GRACE: I`m just seeing the defendant. There she is.
BREMNER: Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: There`s that million-dollar smile. OK, now, what were you saying about no evidence showing she smoked pot?
BREMNER: She denies the presumption of innocence. The fact of the matter is, she said she wasn`t smoking pot. Other people were. And she --
GRACE: So she lies on top of everything?
BREMNER: Well, you know what?
GRACE: That`s a good thing?
BREMNER: Let`s look at the evidence, Nancy. Let`s see what happens with the evidence. The forensics and everything else. What I`m saying, you know, is in this particular case, kids can wander off. Parents that are there for their kids in the blink of an eye, their kids can wander off.
We need to know what the nexus is with pot, was she negligent, and should she be in jail or treatment?
GRACE: OK, you know what? Raymond Giudice, I just listened to Bremner for about 38 seconds and I don`t know what she was trying to say.
What is your take on it, Ray Giudice?
GIUDICE: Well, here`s two things. First of all, when THC, which is a chemical components of marijuana, comes back in the blood stream, it doesn`t have a tag on it showing when it was smoked and what impact it had.
In fact, THZ regularly stays in the blood system for up to 30 days. As a defense law, I would have to argue -- it`s a terrible position to be in -- that the THC started, she smoked weeks before and that`s residue. That`s the best you can do with it.
GRACE: And Eleanor Odom, what about the two witnesses that will probably say she was smoking pot? How are you going to discredit them?
ODOM: Well, Nancy, you`ve got so much evidence saying that she did smoke pot. So let`s pretend the defense attorneys are correct and she didn`t. She still let a child out of her sight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A babysitter has been arrested after police say she was smoking marijuana while the 3-year-old she was supposed to be watching was walking on a highway.
Eighteen-year-old Chelsea Walkingeagle has been charged with felony child abuse and negligent after police reportedly say she left the 3-year- old for 20 or 30 minutes while she was smoking pot in the garage.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police arrested 18-year-old Chelsea Walkingeagle and charged her with felony child abuse and neglect. Cops reportedly said Walkingeagle left the 3-year-old alone for 20 or 30 minutes while she went to smoke pot in the garage with a few others. Walkingeagle has been let out of jail on condition she pass regular drug tests.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: To Dr. Glenn Kolansky, board-certified physician, joining us out of New York.
Doctor, how much does smoking weed affect your decision-making?
DR. GLENN KOLANSKY, M.D., BOARD CERTIFIED PHYSICIAN: Basically you have trouble keeping track of time. It impairs your judgment. It decreases your perception of time. Clearly, she either was inhaling it or smoking pot and basically lost track of this child.
GRACE: Caryn Stark, she has been allowed to remain out of jail under the condition she faces regular drug tests and passes them. I don`t think she should be out on bond.
CARYN STARK, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I don`t know about that, Nancy, because you`re talking about a crime. And it`s a terrible crime. But she has no priors. And I think that the main thing here is that nobody else should use her as a babysitter.
GRACE: But if she shows that type of irresponsibility with a little baby, what would she do in other situations, Caryn?
STARK: Well, you know, she`d get out talking to her relatives and she just can`t break away, which is what she said. No. I think, Nancy, that - -
GRACE: Caryn. She didn`t have a conversation with her relatives that she couldn`t break away from. She was in the carport smoking pot.
STARK: That`s why I said --
GRACE: OK? The baby was wandering down the highway. Drivers were screeching over and pulling away from the child so they wouldn`t run him down.
STARK; Well, her whole explanation is ridiculous, which is why I repeated it. It makes no sense.
And, Nancy, I was thinking about those parents who hired this woman. And sometimes people just don`t have a choice. They don`t have a mother who can baby-sit for them.
GRACE: I don`t necessarily blame --
STARK: So I feel like they need to do a lot of research.
GRACE: The mom works. She hired a babysitter. She probably checked the babysitter out, got good positive feedback and this is what happened. What surprised me, the relatives. The relatives who would allow this to happen and allow -- they are just as much at fault as she is.
STARK: I agree.
GRACE: Everyone, you`re taking a look at Chelsea Walkingeagle, age 18, smoking pot while the baby is found out on a four lane.
Let`s stop and remember Army Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins, 31, Bozeman Montana, killed Iraq. Awarded the distinguished service cross, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart. An avid outdoorsman, loved hunting, fishing, snowmobiling but first love is 11-year-old son Trevor.
He leaves behind grieving parents Jack and Elaine, sister Jennifer, brother-in-law David, son Trevor.
Travis Atkins, American hero.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
