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Multiple Shootings at a St. Louis Business; Severe Weather in the Eastern US; A Woman is Arrested on Drug Charges and Assaulted in a Courthouse

Aired June 13, 2013 - 15:30   ET

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


BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN: All right. Let me bring you up to speed, breaking news here at CNN, live pictures. This is the St. Louis area.

And what you are looking at clearly a police presence at this business in St. Louis, as there are now multiple shooting victims. This is according to our affiliate out of Saint Louis KTVI. This is the 2700 block of Cherokee Street, if you know the neighborhood. Police say there are multiple shooting victims. We don't have a precise number. This is just happening. This is early on.

Police said that the shots were fired inside this Cherokee Place Business Incubator -- as you can see, police on the scene. Apparently police, you know, are inside with dogs. They are looking for the shooter, crime scene unit there.

So this area, this is Cherokee Street, blocked off from Iowa to Jefferson. Multiple shooting victims. We're going to follow this story with you.

Also following another breaking story, this is out of the Virginia/D.C. area. Chad Myers joining me now.

We've been talking about tornadoes we mentioned. Another part of Virginia, now you're saying Sterling, Virginia.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Sterling, Virginia, across the river, eventually toward Rockville, Gaithersburg, on up the pike, this is a tornado warning for you.

This storm has been slightly rotating, but I think because there are so many people affected, Weather Service put that warning out early, 53,111 people affected by that tornado warning.

There's Leesburg, Virginia. There's the radar, though if you live there you probably know what that looks like. That's where the radar goes around here.

And a severe thunderstorm warning because of wind speeds over 60- miles-per-hour.

Look at this number affected, Brooke. Two-point-six million people could be affected by wind damage here as the storm continues to move out of Virginia into the northern sections here of Maryland and into D.C. Now let me kind of draw this out for you because this is a little bit significant. There's D.C. Here's the Virginia part of D.C. And then this is the storm up here, Leesburg, moving to the east -- this would be Poolesville -- eventually toward Gaithersburg. So this is kind of that Rockville Pike area to the northwest of Washington, D.C.

Here gives you an idea of the animation of how it's actually moving. We talk all the time, Brooke, you and I, don't look for a line of weather to affect you. Look for one single cell to affect you. And there it is.

There's that single cell not being affected by any other storm. It is the big dog. It's the one that's able to rotate because nobody else is bumping into it. That's the storm we're worried about, moving across from Leesburg toward Rockville. This is north of Washington, D.C., proper.

BALDWIN: Look at this picture, sheer gray, here, JLA, our affiliate out of D.C., so very ominous skies.

Chad Myers will keep us posted, you and then the weather team. Also, we'll let you know what happens if we know more on that multiple shooting in that business in St. Louis.

But let me move on because imagine this. Imagine how hard it would be to see your mother arrested before your very eyes. Then I'm certain you can understand how a two-year-old girl felt as she watched her mother handcuffed in this story.

Our affiliate KLAS uncovered this video. This is from 2011. And in just a moment, you will hear this girl's mother, who was at a court for a routine divorce case, accuse the court marshal, right there, of sexually assaulting her during a random drug search.

But the female hearing master turned her back to her. The woman was ordered to be arrested by the man who she says assaulted her.

This video has hundreds of thousands of people absolutely outraged on social media. Just want to warn you, the video was tough for even some of us to watch.

But here is Nathan Baca from our affiliate KLAS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just going to close the case out and dissolve the order.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Thank you.

NATHAN BACA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, KLAS: Monica Contreras came to family court with her two-year-old daughter. She was in court for only a few minutes on a routine divorce case.

According to internal court documents reviewed by the I-Team, family court marshal Ron Fox ordered Contreras into a waiting room by herself for an unexplainable drug search.

Contreras says Marshal Fox touched her buttocks, breasts and ordered her to lift up her shirt. A later internal investigation validated her claims.

Contreras went right back into the same courtroom to tell hearing master Patricia Donninger her request to have a female martial search her were ignored.

MONICA CONTRERAS: I think I'd rather have a female in here. (Inaudible) and I was just offended by it. I'm just offended that he asked me to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, so the story stands?

BACA: Contreras pleads as Marshal James Kenyon begins to arrest her.

CONTRERAS: For what, sir?

MARSHAL JAMES KENYON: Hold on.

CONTRERAS: OK, it was -- why would I be arrested, can you please tell me?

KENYON: Turn around. Put your hands behind your back.

CONTRERAS: Can you please tell me?

KENYON: Turn around and put your hands ...

MARSHAL RON FOX: Because of false allegations made against a police officer, so ...

CONTRERAS: What?

BACA: We looked and could find no law supporting that arrest, let alone any law allowing an alleged sexual assault victim to be arrested by the alleged assaulter.

FOX: Jimmy, I've got court. I don't have time to do this, so arrest her. I take the kid. We're done.

CONTRERAS: Why would you do that to me, sir?

FOX: Because you're making false allegations.

BACA: After repeated attempts by marshals to get Contreras to recant her story, she breaks down.

CONTRERAS: Let me go, please. Let me go. It was all lies. It was all lies. All lies. Please, stop.

KENYON: We can do this the easy way. We can do this the hard way.

BACA: Marshal Fox tells Contreras the only way she can avoid jail is to step up to the microphone and recant. Contreras agrees, but does the opposite.

CONTRERAS: He asked me to lift up my shirt without a witness. You asked me to -- you asked me to lift up my shirt without a witness.

BACA: For four minutes Contreras pleaded to the hearing master Patricia Donninger to hear her. Donninger didn't look at the alleged sexual assault victim, deciding instead to play with Contreras's daughter.

CONTRERAS: Why did you do this to me? How could you watch? How could you watch?

BACA: Contreras's 2-year-old daughter confronts the marshals arresting her mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, don't take my mama.

CONTRERAS: He asked me to lift up my shirt without a witness, and I said I don't think that's a good idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's my mama. Leave her alone. Leave her alone.

BACA: Contreras kisses her daughter before being sent to jail, her young daughter sent to Child Haven.

Two months later, Contreras filed a complaint with court martial internal affairs. After a six-month internal affairs investigation, Marshal Ron Fox was fired.

Nobody from Clark County told Monica Contreras that. She found out because we told her. Contreras asked that we blur her face.

CONTRERAS: I just hope I did the right thing by telling internal affairs. It makes me feel good because now I know that I was right.

BACA: We went to the top of Clark County court administration. They released a statement reading, "Court personnel are prohibited from commenting on the video because it's a personnel matter.

"When the actions of any district court employee are called into question, the court immediately responds by conducting a fair, thorough investigation, and upon completion, taking appropriate action."

Even though Marshal Fox was fired, sources tell the I-Team Clark County is widening its investigation into why this incident and a growing number of assault allegations were never reported by family court management to internal affairs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Nathan Baca joins me now from Las Vegas. Nathan, great investigative journalism. Couple of questions for you.

One, is that woman taking any legal action against the court, against the marshal?

BACA: Well, Brooke, she is. She is suing not only the Clark County court system, but also trying to figure out just how much the Clark County court administration knew about this.

The lieutenant who was in charge of this unit, this family court marshals unit, resigned his supervisors position immediately after we aired our story.

And you have a situation now where there are other cases coming forward. That same supervisor allegedly choked a woman who was in a restraint chair, saying, you're in my house now.

So you have more instances finally coming to light.

BALDWIN: Wow.

What about this woman, just hearing that little girl, watching her mother handcuffed, saying that's my mama? I mean, how is the woman? How is her child?

BACA: The child had to spend a day in Child Haven, which is a location where children are sent if they are effectively wards of court until her father was able to pick her up.

Because of that arrest that you saw, what many would argue would be a wrongful arrest, that arrest was later used against her in a future child custody hearing, meaning that she wasn't able to have custody of her child, that daughter, for several months.

BALDWIN: And this judge, or I guess you refer to her as the hearing master. I know so many people are watching her, you know, thinking, my goodness, she should be fired.

Could she be?

BACA: She can be. Here in Las Vegas, judges are elected, except she is a hearing master, which she is appointed by the Clark County court administration here in Las Vegas.

So it is up to -- she does serve at the pleasure of the Las Vegas court administration, so there are certainly questions about why Las Vegas court administration is keeping her on the job.

BALDWIN: I need to point out that we, CNN, reached out to Marshal Fox's attorney. He declined comment.

Nathan Baca, again, great reporting, and we'll follow it right along with you, KLAS. Thank you so much.

BACA: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: As we mentioned, two breaking news stories we're watching right now for you.

First, multiple people reported shot at this business in St. Louis. Here are aerial pictures for you. As we're getting new information for you, we'll pass it along. We're told the shooter is on the loose. We'll take you to that scene.

Plus, a tornado warning in effect for northwest D.C. Look at these skies, dark, dark skies over the Virginia, D.C., Maryland area. Updates on those stories, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's been tough for a lot of companies to find skilled workers, so one is taking an unconventional route to attract the talent it needs.

From the New York Stock Exchange, I'm Alison Kosik, and this is "Your Money."

Energy and shipping company Maersk has developed a video game so it can find new recruits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "The Quest for Oil" is an adventure which will take you deep inside the planet Earth.

You will use the latest technology and equipment while a team of specialists will be on hand to advise and guide you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: "Quest for Oil -- A Sub-surface Gaming Experience" challenges players to secure licenses and reach their production targets faster than their rivals.

The CEO of Maersk says the game gives a glimpse of what oil and gas exploration is all about.

But you can read between the lines of what he also might be looking for. The site where you download the game has a career tab that takes you straight to the company's job postings.

That's it for me. Watch "Your Money" with Christine Romans on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. Eastern, or on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Brooke's coming back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. Let me get you back to our breaking story here. More aerial pictures, this is St. Louis., thanks to our affiliate KTVI, multiple shootings here at this business here on Cherokee Street. If you know the area, 2700 block of Cherokee Street.

You see law enforcement presence there on the ground. I can tell you, according to our affiliate there, police are inside because they say shots were fired inside this Cherokee place business, Incubator. So huge police presence here, they're inside with dogs. Let me just be totally transparent and say that there's conflicting reports as far as whether or not there is an active search for the shooter or not, depending on the source of that, so we still don't quite know.

We also don't know, obviously, who this individual is. The shooter or the -- how those who have been shot, how they're doing.

But the crime scene unit is on the scene. So this is Cherokee Street. If you know St. Louis, if you're in the area, Cherokee Street has been blocked off from Iowa to Jefferson, multiple shooting victims here in St. Louis.

We're going to stay on this, but let me also talk about Newtown, Connecticut, because Newtown, Connecticut, a parent here has an emotional plea for lawmakers, six months after his son was murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

This week marks six months now. Seven-year-old Daniel Barden dreamed of being a fireman when he grew up.

Barden's father and other victims' families made another trip to Washington to meet with lawmakers. They did this yesterday, and pled for action on gun control.

Jake Tapper, host of "The Lead," joins me now to tell me about this interview with Newtown father Mark Barden. How is he doing?

JAKE TAPPER, HOST, "THE LEAD": Well, not great as you might expect. A lot of the parents there just one day before the six-month commemoration of the tragedy at Sandy Hook are still struggling to find answers and still struggling to make sense of what they've been through.

They're trying to push for lawmakers to address further restrictions on high-capacity magazines, further restrictions on semiautomatic rifles, addressing the mental health crisis in this town.

But I also took a moment when I talked to Mark Barden to ask him about his son, Daniel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What do you want people to know about Daniel.