Return to Transcripts main page

Jane Velez-Mitchell

Brittni Colleps Arrested for Having Sex with Her Students; Three- year-old Girl Missing in Wisconsin; Kristen Stewart Backlash over Break- up?; Deadly West Nile Virus Outbreak

Aired August 15, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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


JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Tonight, it`s every parent`s nightmare. A pretty young teacher accused of seducing five of her male students and luring them into sex at her own home. And now the jury is seeing cell phone video that allegedly shows this teacher involved in group sex with the male teens. But this teacher`s husband is standing by her. Find out why next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, a teacher sex scandal trial in Texas. A stunning married young mother of three accused of having sex with several of her male students. She`s even accused of group sex with the teen boys. The encounters allegedly caught on tape and jurors are now watching that video and reading some graphic texting messaging. We`ll have the latest. And we`re taking your calls.

Also, breaking news in the desperate search for beautiful little Renna. Did this 3-year-old really just wander away from home or is there more to the story?

And protest erupt as cops do a video to try and prove a cuff suspect shot himself to death in a squad car. Demonstrators call the cops` version lies and accuse them of a cover-up.

And has Kristen Stewart been dumped from the snow white sequel while the married director she allegedly had an affair with gets to keep his job? Universal denies reports that they kicked the beautiful young starlet off the movie. But is the power house studio being cagey about her involvement. Is the old boys` club double standard at work. And what is spurred boyfriend Robert Patterson have to say now?

And worry grows as the west Nile virus outbreak spreads. We`ll talk to a virus patient who is in her hospital bed ad hear how people are trying to keep their families safe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brittni is a loving mother and continuously puts the needs of our children above her own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Court papers say the 27-year-old English teacher had sex with one student multiple times. Christopher Colleps walked into the room holding his wife`s hand. The army specialist promised to standby her despite the accusations that she had sex with five 18-year-old students from the Kennedale high school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cell phones are proving damning in the trial of former Kennedale teacher on trial for having sex with her students including members of the football team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 28-year-old accusations, Brittni Colleps, married, mother of three, was an English teacher at Kennedale High school where students currently brag in the course that led to her arrest last year.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a pretty young teacher caught in a sex scandal involving five of her male high school students. And prosecutors say they have the video to prove it.

Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.

This attractive mother of three and former English teacher is accused of using text messages to pursue five male students at a Texas high school and allegedly had sex with them in her marital home. The Forth Worth star telegram reports one former student testified that his teacher, Brittni Colleps, texted him pictures and nude videos and that Colleps described herself as an anything goes in sex kind of girl, end quote. He says they exchanged about 100 text messages in one day and then agreed to meet for sex.

Listen to what he told the court from KDFW.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE STUDENT: She said she craved I had something she wanted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom when the jury was shown a cell phone video that allegedly showed the teacher having group sex with four of the young men in her home.

Brittni`s husband is in the military and he was stationed out of state during the time of the alleged sexual encounters. But he is standing by his wife despite the evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER COLLEPS, HUSBAND OF BRITTNI COLLEPS: I hope that you will not pass judgment on her because you don`t have all the facts or details according to this situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The young men were all 18-years-old at the time of the alleged sexual encounters, which is over the age of consent, which is 17 in Texas. So this isn`t about a teacher having sex with minors. The point is in Texas it is against the law for a teacher to have sex with a student.

If the allegations are true, what would make a young teacher and a mother do such a thing? What do you think? Call me. 1-877-JVMSAYS. 1- 877-586-7297.

Straight out to investigative reporter Joe Gomez for KRLD.

Joe, this young woman faces 20 years in prison if convicted given that the sexual contact is allegedly caught on tape, what kind of defense can she offer?

JOE GOMEZ, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KRLD: Well, that`s a good question, Jane. There was a lot of damning evidence here. Clearly we have cell phone video footage of this woman allegedly with a group of teenage males. We also have text messages.

But, you know, in this alleged video they do not show the teacher`s face. I mean, there is something she can point out. Now, we have a tattoo on her back that apparently might identify her.

At the text messages, she might be able to allege that maybe somebody else was writing the messages or perhaps the students were even trying to entrap her. We haven`t heard from defense attorneys yet. But there`s a couple routes they might go down, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: In their opening statements the prosecutors laid out how text messages between Brittni and her students allegedly escalated into sex. Listen to this from KDFW.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It progressed into sexual messages, explicit sexual messages, and then an agreement to meet for sex.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, her attorney, the defendant`s attorney, did not give an opening statement.

Lisa Bloom, legal analyst for avo.com and author of "swagger," these students were 18 years old at the alleged relationships. I find the behavior if it`s true absolutely 100 percent abhorrent. But I`m trying to find out legally where is the line drawn? When I was in 18 I was in college. Would she be on trial if she were a college professor having sex allegedly with an 18-year-old?

LISA BLOOM, LEGAL ANALYST FOR AVO.COM: I agree with you. If she did this, she should be fired. She should not be teaching again. This is very bad behavior.

On the other hand, we are talking about behavior between consenting adults. And sexual behavior consenting adults in the United States is generally protected. For example, if a CEO has consensual sex with his secretary, she could sue him later for sexual harassment maybe, but it`s not a crime.

I mean, there`s all kinds of sex that happens in this country between consenting adults that we don`t like. But it`s no longer criminal. Adulterous sex, for example, no longer criminal because we don`t want to clog up the courts with things like this. Texas in general tends to criminalize a lot of behavior and locks up a lot of people, which is not helpful. So my opinion is that maybe she`s setting herself up for a constitutional defense on appeal if she loses at trial.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Despite these racy charges, her husband is standing by her and even spoke out on camera in support of his wife. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLEPS: If you know Brittni, you would know she`s empathetic, compassionate, loving, loyal person. Brittni is a loving mother and continuously puts the needs of our children above her own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. The husband is in the military. He works out of state 325 miles away at Fort Polk in Louisiana. He and the children were never at home when any of these alleged sexual encounters took place.

Now, Ariva Martin, attorney, again, I find, if this behavior is true, it is absolutely an abomination. I think that male students are not lucky to have this kind of sex with a teacher. This is going to hurt them psychologically and emotionally.

But I want to address the question of where do you draw the line? If they`re 18, is it going to be against the law for a teacher who is in college to have sex with a student who is 18?

ARIVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY: You know, Jane. In Texas there was a particular law enacted in 2003 that says it`s a criminal offense for a teacher to have sex with a student at the same school. So no doubt about it this teacher if these acts are true and if they`re proven to be true is guilty of that crime.

And although you are able to have consensual sex at the age of 18, not if you`re a teacher and not with a student in the same school where you`re teaching. And I think this law makes perfectly good sense. Because we hear of too many stories where students are preyed upon by adults by teachers. You send your kids to school to be taught. Teachers have an obligation, a responsibility to act in an ethical and professional manner, not to have sex with their students.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right Lisa. Lisa, you disagree?

BLOOM: Yes. Look, this is clearly bad behavior and we all agree with that. There`s a lot of bad behavior in this country. But we can`t just keep locking everybody up for things they do we don`t like. We are already number one in the world in terms of incarcerating our own people, more than any other country, more than any other country in human history. And so, we`ve got to stop doing that.

This is a woman who should not be allowed to teach. Who should lose her license to teach. Who should be professionally censured. But she`s having sex with people who are of legal age. And I don`t think 20 years in prison is really appropriate for her or for all of us who have to pay for that incarceration.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

MARTIN: But Lisa, you`re ignoring the law. The law says it`s a crime to have sex with a teacher and student in the same school. You cannot ignore the law in this case.

BLOOM: I understand that, but the constitution is paramount. And the constitution holds that consenting adults have a right of privacy in their private consensual sexual conduct that`s why adulterous spouses can`t be criminalized anymore.

MARTIN: You have to deal with the fact that this law prohibits that kind of conduct.

BLOOM: I know.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think it would be very different if it were a doctor. So should teachers be put in the same category as doctors? More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLEPS: If you know Brittni, you would know she`s an empathetic, compassionate, loving, loyal person. Brittni is a loving mother and continuously puts the needs of our children above her own.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The five young men allegedly bragged about having sex with their teacher. And that`s how everyone found out. Here is the prosecutor from KDFW and also one of the students who testified.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the boys as will happen with high school seniors, had his cell phone with him and decided this would be a good thing to get a clip of. And he began filming it with this defendant`s knowledge. She is filmed having group sex with those four high school students.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Said I had something that she wanted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She had something that she craved. Only the jury, the judge and the lawyers were allowed to see the cell phone video that allegedly shows Brittni having sex with four young men at the same time.

But here`s the twist, you can`t see the woman`s face. One of the young men identified a tattoo on her lower back. You got to wonder, is that enough to prove it`s her on the videotape?

Let`s go out to the phone lines. Larry, Indiana. Your question or thought, Larry?

LARRY, CALLER, INDIANA: I think we all have addictive personalities. And I`m sure you`ll agree with that. She knows like I watch all your shows and we all sit here shocked. It`s like you need to have a show on just addictive personalities. We all look back to this in shock and think, oh, wow, how can one do that? They get so obsessed with their addiction, just like the sex, drugs, alcohol, whatever the addiction is, the only way they ever learn is when they hit rock bottom. As far as rehabilitation, I just feel once something`s in someone like that, you need to learn to control your addiction.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what, Larry, I think you`re making an excellent point.

Larry`s making an excellent point. What could have fueled this kind of really wildly self-destructive behavior assuming it`s true? We don`t want to convict her. She`s on trial and the trial`s just starting. But assuming it is true, what could have fueled this wild behavior?

Now Joe Gomez, we know that her husband was stationed far away, hundreds of miles away. So there`s the loneliness factor. And let`s be real, the sexual frustration factor if she`s not with her husband. And then there are these young men who are -- some of them apparently football players, who may have been obviously when you`re 18 you`re at your sexual peak as a male, how does -- you`ve covered so many, so many of these kinds of cases, Joe Gomez, how does let`s say bad judgment lead to criminality?

GOMEZ: Well, you know, it certainly does. And if you have the opportunity, I suppose you`re confronted with all these young, you know, guys with their hormones going out of control. I think it would be very easily to slip down that slope here. I mean, one of these boys even asked his friend to work some magic and get him involved with Brittni. She obviously had the wherewithal to hide her face in some of these pictures and videos even telling one of the boys she was not going to send any lingerie photos ever because she wasn`t "trying to go to jail."

So, she had some sort of wherewithal where the line was drawn if in fact she did in fact, you know, committed all these deeds. As you mention, Jane, I mean there`s a lot of frustration and loneliness involved, at certainly if her husband is out of state soldier based somewhere else.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. That`s another factor. And I got to say, Lisa Bloom, what I thought was fascinating is apparently this started with a text message allegedly from her to one of the boys saying, oh, what time is the game?

First of all, I want to know why teachers have the phone numbers and the ability to text students. A lot of these cases you see the same thing. It starts with the texting. Should there be a rule that says that there should be no personal texting between student and teacher period?

BLOOM: Yes, but it sure helps us catch these folks. You know, we have the text not only at the beginning, Jane, but at the middle and the end of the relationship. And we have cell phone videos all throughout. And that`s what makes it almost impossible for anybody to have an affair and get away with it these days because it`s all electronically preserved on a computer, on a cell phone, on a video camera, all over the place. I mean, it`s so reckless for a teacher to engage in this kind of conduct because it`s so clear that she`s going to get caught.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s so obvious high school boys, 18-year-olds, teens, if they are indeed having sex with a teacher as alleged are going to talk about it. That`s exactly what happened. It swept through the halls of this high school.

And as we go to the next story, let`s leave you with one of the most well-known teacher/student sex scandals in America. Debra Lafave, the beautiful married mother of twins accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy. She got ten years probation as part of a plea deal. So we got to wonder, could Brittni ultimately get some kind of probation and not do time? We`re staying on top of this story.

Up next, you will not believe a wild re-enactment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How Carter managed to shoot himself while handcuffed using a concealed weapon police missed during not one but two searches is a mystery to many.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: May find a small bag, $10 worth of marijuana, but they miss a gun?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They searched him twice. I mean, I just want to know what really happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: An uproar in Arkansas after police released video of how they say 21-year-old Chavis Carter could have shot himself in the head while handcuffed behind his back in a squad car. Protesters don`t believe it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you fall for this, you will fall for anything!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have tried it. On numerous of us have tried it. It cannot be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But here it is. An officer`s re-enactment of the mysterious shooting death as they see it. Carter was arrested and put in the back of a cop car handcuffed behind his back with cops double locked. But police say he shot himself in the head. Cops say they searched him twice and somehow still missed the gun.

After watching this re-enactment of what police say purportedly happened, carter`s mother reportedly met with the justice department rep and still does not believe her son was suicidal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they killed him. I mean, my son wasn`t suicidal. They searched him twice. I mean, I just want to know what really happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cops say they pulled carter over during their search, found marijuana and realized there was a warrant out for his arrest for other drug charges.

Now, as we watch this re-enactment again, attorney Ariva Martin, when you see it, do you believe it proves the cops` claim that carter shot himself?

MARTIN: Not for one minute, Jane. That video is really insulting to the intelligence. You re-enact what is supposed to be this young man`s suicide. But what we know from reports is that his mother said he was left-handed. The person in that video uses their right hand to shoot themselves in the right side of their head.

Also, we know that this young man called his girlfriend to say he was on his way to jail. There`s nothing about that video that suggests that it`s the exact same way that this alleged suicide happened. He had his hands behind his back handcuffed. We don`t know what level of tension, how tight those handcuffs are. If we are to believe that video, police are handcuffing people but allowing them to reach into their pockets and pull out items, which would put the police at risk.

I believe that video is a complete farce. And I hope the justice department, I hope the FBI investigates this case because it wreaths of foul play.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa bloom, they missed the gun. I mean, he had a gun in there, if you believe their version of events.

BLOOM: This is absolutely outrageous. You mean to tell me that Arkansas police were capable enough of finding a small bag of marijuana on this suspect but not a gun? Are you kidding me? I mean, this is preposterous. This man is dead in the back of a police car, handcuffed, 21 years old and why? Because a marijuana possession? You mean to tell me a 21-year-old man would kill himself over a low level crime like that? A man who has a history with the criminal justice system? This is outrageous.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We will stay on top of this story. More will develop undoubtedly.

"Nancy Grace" 8:00 p.m. top of the hour. Nancy, what are you working on tonight?

NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST, NANCY GRACE SHOW: Jane, tonight on the radar tracking crime and justice. Live to Salt Lake City and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a mother of two, 28-year-old Susan Cox Powell. We obtained stunning, explicit private journals from her father- in-law. What did they reveal about her death and disappearance?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A desperate search is going on right now for a missing girl in Wisconsin.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right now we just feel like she has wandered off.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she was last seen wearing pants, long sleeved purple shirt and wasn`t wearing any shoes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mystery and anxiety in the Midwest as a beautiful Wisconsin toddler seemingly vanishes into thin air. Look at this adorable child. Hundreds of volunteers desperately searching for any sign of missing 3-year-old Renna May Williams.

The little girl`s parents say they last saw Renna in the front yard of the family home about 7:00 yesterday evening playing with her dogs. Rescue personnel moved into action an hour later with police dogs, a helicopter and infrared imaging systems searching a nearby river and dam well into the early morning hours for any sign of the adorable toddler.

The search continues tonight. Renna last seen wearing pants, a long sleeve, purple shirt and no shoes. She has green eyes, blond hair, stands about 3`8" tall. Is it possible that this beautiful little girl wandered off on her own? Or could something else have happened?

Investigative reporter Joe Gomez.

Joe, I find it odd that cops are saying a 3-year-old can wander that far from her house on her own with no shoes on. What else are cops saying about this case?

GOMEZ: Well, Jane, this is a very interesting case and very terrifying in fact, because the family`s residence for this 3-year-old wandered off on is apparently located on an island in yellow river surrounded by a lot of dense brush, forest, a swampland of course water here.

So I mean investigators are out there on boats, helicopters with infrared really trying to scour every part here. But this island`s also connected by several bridges to the mainland. So, police aren`t ruling out any possibility including one that perhaps this beautiful little girl might have been taken, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And Lisa Bloom, what do you make of the fact that her house is the only house on a 40-acre peninsula on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota? In other words, there`s nobody else around.

LISA BLOOM, ATTORNEY: She couldn`t have gotten very far on her own, Jane. She`s too little. She was shoeless. She would have started crying and she would have been found. So, unfortunately it looks like foul play. And I`m very sorry to have to say that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we are going to stay on top of this story -- this precious child. Call police if you have any information whatsoever.

And now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After weeks of not seeing Robert Pattinson, he is now everywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the first time since his girlfriend and "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart admitted to cheating on him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Robert Pattinson actually dodged all questions pretty much about Kristen Stewart.

ROBERT PATTINSON, ACTOR: I don`t want to talk about it, a lot of people just make it up any way. That`s something I can live through.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here`s the thing, they haven`t officially broken up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s only 22 years old. They`re very young. And everybody knows how difficult it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he`s kind of playing with us a little bit. He`s playing with her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who hasn`t been through a relationship drama?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They do have one more movie to do. And I think they`re going to need to come together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was Kristen Stewart dumped again? A flurry of reports that she`s been let go from the sequel to her smash hit movie "Snow White and the Huntsman". This after she was caught on camera having affair with a married director; they worked together on a movie. It allegedly developed into a full-fledged fling that led to Kristen`s super high- profile split from Robert Pattinson.

He`s back in the limelight but staying mum on lack of love life. Watch this from GMA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATTINSON: I`ve never been interested in trying to sell my personal life. That`s really the only reason people bring it up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is Kristen out of the franchise? The studio says not so fast. Universal says quote, "We`re currently exploring all options to continue the franchise. Any reports that Kristen Stewart has been dropped are false."

What does that mean if they`re exploring all options doesn`t it mean that one option would mean they would do it without Kristen? People are upset because the director, Rupert Sanders, hasn`t been booted from the project. He was the boss of the set. He was Kristen`s supervisor. Where`s the backlash against him?

I want to go to Sharon Waxman, founder and editor-in-chief of thewrap.com. If Kristen is ultimately left out of this sequel, would this be the old boys club at work?

SHARON WAXMAN, FOUNDER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THEWRAP.COM: Well, I think what`s happening is that the studio that has to deal with all of this fallout from this franchise is trying to dodge. So what they`re talking about now quietly is not about whether they`re going to drop Kristen Stewart from the sequel but rather why don`t we make "The Huntsman" instead?

So that`s really where they`re trying to shift the focus, which has an uncontroversial star in Chris Hemsworth. And then that way they can capitalize on the success of this movie and then deflect attention from this very scandalous thing that happened on the set of this movie.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But, Sharon, you`re involved in Hollywood. You`re a woman. I`m a woman. I`m in the media. It will burn me up if the married director, father of two, who is kept on the movie does not suffer but the single 22-year-old woman who did not make a vow with any person to honor and obey and be faithful --

WAXMAN: I get it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- who did not have two kids -- go ahead.

WAXMAN: Well, I don`t really think anybody at Universal Studios that made the movie is passing judgment on who had an affair because really that wouldn`t go very well if we started throwing stones in glass houses in this town.

But I think that you could be sure they are not -- what they want to do is just let things calm down. I really don`t think you`re going to see Kristen Stewart stop getting roles because she had -- she didn`t really have the affair, actually. The director had the affair. So you`re right on that one.

But she was a couple certainly with Rob Pattinson and he moved out. And there`s all of this noise around it. The bigger problem is going to be for "Twilight" because they have another movie to promote together as you know at the end of this year and there is so much riding on that promotion.

So we`re not talking about a morality judgment in Babylon, certainly not. You`re talking about what is going to hurt the franchise of "Snow White" and what might hurt the franchise of "Twilight". And so they want to try to turn down the heat.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course. Robert Pattinson is best known for "Twilight". Here he is in the first movie. Watch this from Summit Entertainment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATTINSON: Bella.

KRISTEN STEWART, ACTRESS: Thanks. You know, your mood swings are kind of giving me whiplash.

PATTINSON: I only said it would be better if we weren`t friends, not that I didn`t want to be.

STEWART: What does that mean?

PATTINSON: It means if you were smart, you`d stay away from me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. So there`s the problem with that sequel. And then how can they make a "Snow White" sequel without "Snow White"? That`s the question everyone`s asking because Kristen Stewart was such a huge part of the first movie. Here it is from Universal Pictures.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS HEMSWORTH, ACTOR: Shhh. Be quiet. All right.

Hey. What the hell`s going on? Who are you? Why does the queen want you dead?

STEWART: She wants everyone dead. All of us.

HEMSWORTH: What makes you so damn valuable?

STEWART: You should know, you`re the one hunting me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Dylan Howard, editor-in-chief, Celebuzz, many have said the wife of the director, Rupert Sanders, is the one who banned her husband from ever working with Kristen because she felt betrayed because she played Kristen Stewart`s mom in the movie.

DYLAN HOWARD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, CELEBUZZ: Tabloid murmurs, Jane. I don`t know if we can take too much credence in that. But one consideration that the studio ought to make when deciding what to do with this franchise is the very vitriolic and patriotic fan base that Kristen Stewart does have. And indeed many on social networking have leapt to her defense.

These films carry a significant supporter base. And any move that they make could indeed ostracize that base. And the studio must give consideration to that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I say get rid of the director and keep the star. She`s a beautiful young woman. She didn`t sign any kind of vow. She made a terrible error in judgment to have, if she did indeed have an affair, at least liplocked with a married man, bad idea. But his ethical quandary is worse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: People say it`s too expensive, too complicated to eat healthy -- nonsense. I am here at a farmers market in midtown Manhattan of all places. Take a look at the gorgeous veggies. We`re talking about a fifth generation farm from upstate New York. So this is locally grown, locally produced.

Now, if you want to find the farmers market in your area, just Google Farmers Markets USA and a whole directory will pop up. You put in your zip code. And, look, all the farmers markets in your area will appear. Check it out. Healthy mind, healthy body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s your "Viral Video of the Day". And, boy, is it amazing. Take a look at this little pooch. He`s out there in the water. And guess who he makes friends with? Oh, my gosh. Yes. That`s a dolphin. That`s a dolphin that he`s having fun and makes friends with. Who says that animals can`t get along? Why can`t we?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s some drama in Kim Kardashian`s divorce case today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything`s up for grabs, you know. There are no minor children, so there are no custody issues. But money can make people fight forever about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once the split from Kris is finalized, it could mean Kanye could put a ring on it for Kim.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His lawyers have hinted that they would like to put reality TV on trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, boy. Tonight, Kim Kardashian`s divorce dramarama juicier than an episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians". The reality TV princess sent her lawyers to battle in court today against her soon-to- be ex-husband Kris Humphries. Kim enjoyed marital bliss with the NBA player for a whopping 72 days. You remember the alleged $10 million wedding ring, right? Watch this from E!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every drop of makeup picture perfect. Kris made sure he was looking extra special for his bride-to-be too getting some help with his tux from the groomsman. Mom, Kris, and younger sisters --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes. All comes back to me now. That doesn`t mean this divorce is going to be smooth though. In court today the Kardashian lawyer says Kris` attorney tried to subpoena Kim`s new boyfriend, superstar Kanye West, by ringing the doorbell for hours and hiding the subpoena documents in a Nordstrom`s box. Are you kidding me?

Kim`s lawyer said that Humphries plans to put reality TV on trial. Kris` lawyers firing back saying Kim`s camp is dragging out this divorce. Wow. You know what; it`s hard for me to keep track of it. That`s why we`re going to our senior HLN producer, Selin Darkalstanian, you were in court today. My head is spinning. What went down?

SELIN DARKALSTANIAN, HLN PRODUCER (via telephone): Jane, basically you summed it up. Kim wants this thing over with as quickly as possible. She never wants to hear Kris Humphries` name again. But Kris Humphries` side is stalling. They don`t want to give her the quick and easy divorce. They want to prove, basically, that Kim married Kris Humphries for the reality TV show and that`s it. For no other reason -- not for real love or anything like that.

And so while Kim wants this divorce to be over quickly, Kris wants to talk to everybody involved with the reality show. He wants to talk to the wedding planner that made the wedding happen. He wants to talk to the people who produced it. He wants to talk to the people who aired it. They want to basically talk to everybody that had anything to do with the wedding special because they want to prove that Kim married him just for the TV show.

It`s not like he needs money from her. I mean he just signed a $24 million contract for two years with the New Jersey Nets. So it`s not like he`s asking for money from her. And she`s saying "Hurry it up. You`re costing me money." This divorce has cost her $250,000 and it`s not even going to trial until next year.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but $250,000 -- come on, that`s chump change. That`s chump change for her. Kim`s lawyers -- and by the way, great summary there, Selin -- Kim`s lawyers say Kris is making -- he`s making too big a deal out of this. Since the marriage was so short and there is an ironclad pre-nup, but Kris Humphries claims the entire marriage was a fraud, all for television -- "Keeping Up with the Kardashians". Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KIM KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: I`m doing everything by myself and I can`t even ask you to help me out.

KRIS HUMPHRIES, NBA PLAYER: Please -- all the talk.

KARDASHIAN: I have been planning this wedding since I was 10 years old. It`s such a girl thing.

HUMPHRIES: Yes. And you can just slide any guy into it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Bloom, legal analyst for avvo.com. Is divorce court the place to take on reality TV? And can Kris Humphries really prove that he was essentially punked? That everyone around him knew this was just for show and he was the only dupe who thought, oh, I`m really getting married for love?

BLOOM: Oh, please, please, please, let`s put reality TV on trial, Jane. Please, Kris, don`t settle the case. Please do go forward and put it on trial. Reality TV is causing so many problems in our culture. I wrote a whole book about how it`s dumbing us down. This show is prime among them. I mean the Kardashians

Give me a break. Hey, if this guy was the victim of a plan just to boost ratings, he should go forward. He should subpoena everyone. He should get to the bottom of it. I don`t think he will ultimately. I think it will settle. But, God, that would really make my day.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I`m not a fan of reality TV either. And to me this spectacle of a wedding was a joke. It was obviously a sham from the get-go when I saw it on television.

And how you could participate in this and then pretend like you are not a participant is beyond me too. So I think Kris needs to take responsibility for his role in this charade.

And with that, we`re going to move onto a very sad story. I got to give you an update right now. We reported on this yesterday. It`s a crucial vote that affects countless dogs. Miami voters, unfortunately, I think they made a bad decision, they decided to uphold that controversial ban on pit bulls.

The breed of course gets a bad rap. It`s been demonized. So they decided, no, you still cannot own a pit bull in Miami. So all those pit bulls that are found on the street are going to be put to sleep, death sentence just because that`s the way nature made them. There`s something wrong with that. But that`s what the voters decided.

On the other side we`re talking West Nile virus, facts that you need to know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dallas, Texas under a state of emergency due to the fast-spreading West Nile virus. At least 26 Americans have died from West Nile since the outbreak began.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The West Nile virus causing concern across the country, reason being the numbers are staggering. 32 states now infected, the disease which again is transmitted by mosquitoes is spreading faster than it has in years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh my gosh. A deadly West Nile virus outbreak has now hit almost every state in the whole country. As you heard, 26 people dead, nearly 700 others infected. This could be the worst West Nile outbreak in the United States. Dallas, Texas has now declared a state of emergency. It`s going to start dropping insecticides from planes to battle the deadly mosquitoes.

We`re going to go straight now to a very special guest. Katharyn Deville who has very graciously agreed to talk with us; she is in the hospital right now suffering from West Nile virus? Katharyn, first of all how are you feeling and do you know how you got this? And what were some of the symptoms?

KATHARYN DEVILLE, HAS WEST NILE VIRUS (via telephone): Thank you for having me. I`m actually coming through to the tail end of this. I`m happy to say because it`s been most of the month of August. I got sick on the 30th of July, and I can`t believe it`s the 15th of August already because I have lost going on three weeks of my life to this.

It started out early on as flu-like symptoms. In fact, that`s kind of what I thought I had. I was at work one day and I just started feeling really crummy, you know. My shoulders ached, my hip ached, my back, and just an overwhelming sense of just malaise. And all I could think of doing was leaving work, going straight home, going straight to bed, turn off the lights -- everybody leave me alone.

You know, it`s been a journey. It`s been a journey of many doctors --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How did you find out Katharyn? How did you find out you had West Nile? How did you find out you had West Nile?

DEVILLE: Well, you know, the West Nile diagnosis was one that was really hard to come by because I didn`t get the official diagnosis, if you can believe this, until just this past Saturday after having a spinal tap and multiple blood cultures and that was after going to four different doctors, two different emergency rooms.

I think that, you know, the main thing that I just kept doing was just pushing and pushing and pushing doctors to find out what was wrong with me. It wasn`t something obvious. So that was kind of the hardest part.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to say that we hope -- you sound great, we hope you recuperate 100 percent. Thank you for sharing your story with us. And it`s a very important cautionary tale. It`s so easy to get it.

On the other side, a relative of a victim.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY BEST, HUSBAND DIED FROM WEST NILE VIRUS: It`s all been very frightening to me. I don`t (inaudible). I`m not sure I understand. But when you been with somebody 65 years and you go put them in the ground, part of you goes in there too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That woman lost her husband of 65 years to West Nile virus and right now to Jill Roark, your mother Jill -- thank you for joining -- is hospitalized and we wish her the best. She`s got West Nile virus. What can you tell us about her symptoms? Jill, can you hear me?

JILL ROARK, MOTHER HAS WEST NILE VIRUS (via telephone): Yes, I can now.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How is your mom doing?

ROARK: She`s doing a lot better now. She contracted it on the 22nd of July and was hospitalized, they found out three days later is when we actually found out she was positive for West Nile.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How are they treating her?

ROARK: I`m sorry?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How are they treating her because I understand there`s really no vaccine for it?

ROARK: There`s not any. You just have to do a lot of praying and hope they come through it. The main symptoms is the high fever, and just keeping them hydrated. I stayed at the hospital and kept her hydrated and we just willed her through it and she pulled through.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Jill, you`re a very good daughter and we are going to stay on top of that story. Stay safe.

Scary.

Nancy Grace is up next.

END