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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Woman Goes Berserk, Has Meltdown On Plane; Cop Threatens Daughter`s Boyfriend With Jail. Aired 6-8p ET
Aired June 26, 2018 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST, HLN CRIME AND JUSTICE: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to "Crime and Justice."
Tonight, the appalling video of a woman throwing a foul-mouthed tantrum on a flight. Michael Christian has been digging into the details of what
happened here. What on earth is she so mad about? And are airlines doing enough to make sure the rest of us are safe when stuff like this happens?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, SENIOR FIELD PRODUCER, HLN: Yes, Ashleigh, apparently, it was another passenger who was ill that triggered this entire incident,
but you`re absolutely right. What are airlines supposed to do to protect passengers in a situation like this? And where are the air marshals?
We`ll tell you what we found out about that situation.
BANFIELD: Very good point. I keep wondering, because you are stuck in that environment when this happens. Thank you, Michael, for that. Also,
another outrageous video tonight. The police officer who goes overboard, trying to track down his adult daughter, stopping her boyfriend on the
road, for no reason. And then threatening a mother who steps in, even tossing around bogus charges, all in uniform. Justin Freiman is on this
story. He says Justin, that he was just concerned about his daughter?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, SR. PRODUCER, HLN CNN: Right, concerned about his daughter and he is telling everybody, where is my daughter? He is looking for his
daughter and he is threatening charges against multiple people. Meanwhile, his daughter is pretty much right in front of him.
BANFIELD: I don`t think you`re allowed to use your cruiser like this when you`re on duty. Justin, thank you for that.
Plus, who`s a good boy? The police dog who did this. Check him out. All this dope found on his watch. $10 million worth of it. And you won`t
believe where he found the weed. Going to show you the rest of this story.
Also later on, how six people escaped this burning vessel that went from charter boat to chum in a matter of mere minutes? Jaw-dropping video.
We`ll show you the whole thing in just a moment.
First though, I want to take you to Rochester, Minnesota. That is where Spirit Airlines flight 346 had to make a sudden landing yesterday. Just 75
miles from its intended destination, Minneapolis. 75 miles. The plane couldn`t even make it that last 75 miles. And that is because a passenger
was suffering a medical emergency, but that emergency and the diversion that the flight was forced to make was only the beginning of the drama.
Because minute after the plane hit the ground in Minnesota and off-loaded the passenger in distress, a whole other passenger onboard had a whole
other emergency.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get me the (BEEP) off this god (BEEP) plane! You want to be shitty and bitchy to me, you will see me (BEEP) pissed! You
will. Get me the (BEEP) off! I will -- I don`t (BEEP) care! Put me in a (BEEP) snipe test! You want to (BEEP) with a (BEEP) marine?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, go ahead and let her off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me the (BEEP) off, bastards. Go to (BEEP) hell! Do you know where hell is? I`ve (BEEP) been there! I`ve lived to tell the
(BEEP) story. Do you want to know what happened to my family? You don`t know! You don`t know! You don`t (BEEP) know! Get me the (BEEP) off of
here! Get me the (BEEP) out of here!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joining me now, "Crime and Justice" producer, Michael Christian. Also on the phone, Sergeant Jeff Sobczak, with the Rochester Police
Department. He escorted that passenger off of that plane. Stephanie Calder was on the same flight as the irate passenger. CNN safety analyst
and former FAA inspector, David Soucie, is with me and trial attorney, Randy Kessler joins me as well. So, Michael Christian, first to you, do we
have any idea what this was all about?
CHRISTIAN: Apparently, this woman was on a flight from Houston to Minneapolis. The flight had to be diverted to Rochester, Minnesota.
BANFIELD: But not because of her?
CHRISTIAN: No. No, absolutely not. Because there was an ill passenger. They had a medical emergency. So the plane made an unexpected landing.
They were able to get the stricken passenger off the plane. That seemed to be fine. And then, according to people on the plane and according to video
that we have of this incident, this woman just suddenly --
BANFIELD: Lost it.
CHRISTIAN: Lost it. I guess that is the kindest way to put it. She was going up and down the aisle, she was shrieking obscenities. Now in our
clean-up version that the viewers are seeing, you don`t hear the obscenities.
[18:05:00] I am a New Yorker, I know my way around the vicinity. I have to tell you, it raised my eyebrows. There`s a lot of f-bombs and other things
coming out of this woman.
BANFIELD: And sort of frightening in that she is saying to people, my brother`s a marine sniper. Without directly saying, they`re coming for,
she is essentially saying, do you have any idea what I can do to you? But I don`t understand. It`s not like the plane was on the ground for six
hours and she had had enough.
CHRISTIAN: No, but apparently she had just reached the breaking point. You are absolutely right. The plane was on the ground, which makes you
wonder what in god`s name would have happened if this had happened during the flight, when they were in the air. Because that ups the ante
unbelievably so.
BANFIELD: Unbelievably so. And I will get to that in just a moment. Because David is great with that, but first to Sergeant Jeff Sobczak.
Sergeant, you were one of the -- you were a responder. You arrived onboard that plane. Take me from there. You walk onboard and what do you
encounter?
SGT. JEFF SOBCZAK, ROCHESTER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Yes, ma`am. We got a call that there was an unruly passenger. We were aware of the
medical issue, as well. The crew -- the pilot requested we remove someone that became, I guess, irate after the landing. The crew pointed to the
back of the airplane. The rest of the passengers were all pretty calm. Officers and I walked to the back and I really didn`t know who we were
looking for, because nobody was acting irate until another crew member -- at the back, pointed last row, middle seat, and there was a woman with her
head back, eyes closed, and it appears she was even sleeping.
The gentlemen sitting next to her asked if he could speak with me real quick. And I said, of course, and he told me that -- and I don`t know if
he was a friend or if they talked to her during the flight, I`m not sure, but he told that she told him that she was a combat vet and when the plane
landed and arrived she was informed they were in Rochester and not Minneapolis, she just became extremely agitated. And when they were told
to stay in their seats, you saw what happened on the video.
BANFIELD: And is there some truth to the fact, sergeant, that as a combat veteran, this was one of her first flights by herself. And that that may
have been perhaps too much?
SOBCZAK: Yes. When I got a chance to speak with her, as I began talking to her, I asked her if she -- we were starting to realize we were dealing
with maybe a mental health issue here instead of someone that was just really mad at Spirit Airlines. And I just asked her if she was upset
today, if she was OK? I asked her if she had an episode. She told me she did.
BANFIELD: An episode of -- can you be more -- what do you mean by episode?
SOBCZAK: If she experienced like the gentlemen said, any PTSD, if they experience episodes, something triggered something. And they were aware
that it happens. They possibly can`t control it. She was aware that had happened. And I asked her, I thanked her for her service in the army, she
started to cry. And she said she had not flown by herself since being in the army. And whether this is true or not, I have no idea. This is just
what she had told me.
And I asked her to get off the plane, because the flight could not leave -- Spirit Airlines was not going to take off unless she was escorted from the
plane and she said OK. At which time she told me she was going to take on the entire government. I said, we can do that outside the plane. And then
she got up and I think officers and I finally got an example of what was taking place before we got on the plane, because she became irate again.
BANFIELD: And what happened the second time. And you`re talking about off the plane, she is becoming irate with you, a second time. What happened?
SOBCZAK: We were still on the plane. We were at the back of the plane, so we had a long walk ahead of us through all the passengers. And anywhere we
are with somebody irate, we just want to remove them from the scene. So I grabbed what the other passengers said was her property and the officers
just -- she wanted off the plane, we escorted her off the plane and took her property with us.
BANFIELD: What did the other episode, I supposed the other sort of meltdown entail? What happened then?
SOBCZAK: I was the last one out. I could hear her -- I couldn`t tell you what she was saying. Once we got off the plane, she was fine. One of our
squads was still on the tarmac, so we had to sit in there. We couldn`t let her walk around. She was calm and then broke down again in tears and my
understanding in the officer`s car, she was talking to her dad and she calmed down at that point.
BANFIELD: Talking to her dad on the phone. And so she is in the squad car, on the tarmac, calls her father.
SOBCZAK: Yes.
BANFIELD: And ultimate, as I understand it, she gets put on another shuttle to make her way back to Minneapolis, which was the intended
destination. I am curious about one thing that you said.
SOBCZAK: Yes.
BANFIELD: Because, look, I`m not in your boat, but this could have been a disorderly conduct. It could have been an assault, frankly, some of the
words that she was using, but you chose not to do that. And yet, we`re not sure if her story checks out. Is there -- what`s that dynamic? What`s
that cocktail that you`re mixing when you try to decide what you`re going to do in that circumstance?
[18:10:04] SOBCZAK: You`re correct. Her behavior -- I had not seen any video of the incident before we got there. Until hours afterwards, of
course, online. So I didn`t know what she had been up to. However, if we did issue her a citation, a misdemeanor in Minnesota for disorderly
conduct, yes, she`d pay a fine. Is that going to correct her behavior the next time? It`s up to Spirit Airlines whether they`re going to allow her
to fly or not. That is not up to me.
BANFIELD: So sergeant, once you saw the video -- if you had seen the video prior to you encountering her as calm as you did, might that have been a
different dynamic, might you charge her? Knowing, I mean there was -- I got to be honest. I`ve seen a lot of this stuff, that the tone -- I just
want to play one more little moment just to remind our viewers the tone and I guess the aggression that was coming out of this woman. Have a look at
this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t (BEEP) care! Put me in a (BEEP) snipe vest. You know who my brothers are? They`re (BEEP) marine snipers? You want to
(BEEP) with a (BEEP) marine?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So, sergeant that is just a part of it. Might she have been charged, if you had seen this stuff beforehand?
SOBCZAK: I`m not sure we still would have. And let me say, I couldn`t imagine being on that plane like those passengers were. I know there were
children on the plane as well. My opinion, I was of the opinion that instead of a court appearance, she needs some mental health help. And I
hope she is getting that through the vet clinic.
BANFIELD: I think you`re a very kind officer. I`m going to say that. I think you`re very thoughtful. And I`m particularly -- I particularly
admire that you thanked her for her service. I want to bring in Stephanie Calder, if I can. Stephanie, you were on this plane. Walk me through what
was going through your mind? It was scary to watch the video. I can`t imagine what it was like for you sitting there.
STEPHANIE CALDER, ON SAME FLIGHT AS IRATE PASSENGER: It was very scary. I was flying to my final destination was Detroit with my daughter. We were
going to Detroit for a volleyball tournament. So I had my 15-year-old daughter sitting right beside me and my first thought was to completely
protect my daughter. I mean, there was -- we -- I didn`t know what this lady was going to do. She was complaining -- or screaming that she had two
brothers that were snipers and so it makes you wonder, like, are they around here? Like, where are they? You know, so you don`t know what the
next -- her next move was going to be. It was very scary. It was all very scary.
BANFIELD: Yes, I can imagine that. I didn`t know that you had your daughter with you. Is she OK today?
CALDER: Yes, yes, she is fine.
BANFIELD: So that actually brings me to another topic, and that is, how safe are we? Because we are all confined in those metal tubes. Mostly
belted in, especially if we`re flying, and sometimes even if we`re on the tarmac, and we don`t have a lot of ways to protect our kids, let alone
ourselves, as well. There`s a moment where she heads towards the cockpit, as well. Which is, I mean, that is where it gets even more frightening. I
just want to play that, if I can, can. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do want to know what hell is?! I`ve (BEEP) been there 10 (BEEP) times! I`ve lived to tell the (BEEP) story! Do you want
know what happened to my family? You don`t know! You don`t know! You don`t (BEEP) know! You don`t (BEEP) know! Get me the (BEEP) out of here!
Get me the (BEEP) out of here!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So Stephanie, your 15-year-old is beside you. Listen, if I`m walking down the sidewalk and I see somebody who`s troubled like that, we
beeline as far away as we can. I have an 11, 12-year-old. Not just because I want to protect them, I don`t want them to see whatever it is
that is about to happen. And yet, you were stuck. You were stuck. What did you do to protect her? And did anybody from the airline -- and I`m not
coming down on Spirit here. This is happening on all airlines. Did anybody do anything to assure you that it`s going to be OK?
CALDER: No. They all just kind of -- I don`t mean to disrespect Spirit whatsoever. They handled it as well as they could. I mean, you could see
the captain of the plane go into the cockpit and he, you know, under that circumstance, he is told to go into lockdown mode. He is got to protect
the plane.
BANFIELD: And that is what he did, right? He just went right back in the cockpit and shut the door quickly?
CALDER: Yes. Yes, you can see that on the video. I mean, I just put my - - my daughter behind my back, in between the wall of the plane and my back and if she was going to come at me or my daughter, I mean, it would have
not been good, because mama bear would have come out.
[18:15:11] BANFIELD: Yes, she`d have to get through you first.
CALDER: Exactly.
BANFIELD: And that is frightening when you`re dealing with someone who`s in that state.
So David Soucie, you know, look, you`re not a stranger to CNN and HLN. You`ve been on the air with us a lot. We are increasingly reporting these
incidents. Sometimes they`re just bitchy people being obnoxious. And other times they`re aggressive. I think we`ve got something we can show
real quickly, just to show some of the behaviors that we`ve highlighted in the past. Have a look real quickly at this --it is a montage of some of
the lowlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I swear if you don`t (BEEP) land, I will (BEEP) kill everybody on this (BEEP) plane!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, hey! Hey!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re my savior! God, you`re my saver! God, you`re my savior!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: David, my whole staff and I were asking the question, aren`t there supposed to be air marshals? Who is protecting us from people who
are frightening us? And who`s protecting Stephanie and her 15-year-old daughter? How many air marshals are up there? What`s the status of safety
in the air?
DAVID SOUCIE, FORMER FAA SAFETY INSPECTOR: Well, that is a really good question, Ashleigh, right now. I wanted to point out before we go there
that the flight attendant did what she was trained to do, which was to say, when a passenger started trying to talk with her or rationalize with her or
discuss something with her, she said, just go ahead and let her get off the plane. Just go ahead and let her go.
And in a soft voice, you can hear her just say, just let her do this, let her do that. That is really what they are trained to do. But they are not
trained to mitigate a situation like that. You`re right. So all of those passengers, this is probably -- anytime you`re in an airplane, it`s
probably one of the most vulnerable times that you`ll ever be. It`s the most vulnerable space. You`re in a difficult situation. You`re packed
next to people that you don`t know. You`re apprehensive about everything in the first place. So I can only imagine what this lady and her daughter
have gone through this with and everybody onboard that aircraft, because it is not just someone yelling --
BANFIELD: But where are the marshals?
SOUCIE: -- yelling at you, you can`t do anything. That is the thing.
BANFIELD: I feel like there`s one marshal for every several thousand flights. Is that wrong?
SOUCIE: That is correct. That is correct. If they were to put an air marshal on every single flight, we`re talking about 60,000 or 70,000 air
marshals that would have to be hired and trained and put on these flights. So the air marshals are not really designed -- that program is not really
designed to stop this type of activity. It`s design to stop people from getting in the cockpit or people that are creating a safety hazard on the
aircraft at the time. Now, you showed a couple of videos of people that were doing that. When this happens in the air, and that is where we fault.
That is where it`s difficult for passengers to understand and we have to just like she did protect her daughter.
BANFIELD: I will you what. Yes. I hope I`m not inviting you all back when this escalates to somebody getting seriously hurt. Because that
woman, I don`t know, maybe she is 130 to 140 pounds. And who knows if a 250-pound large 6`4" man, who nobody could overpower has an episode. Then
where are we at? I`ve got to call it there, guys, but thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Michael Christian, Sergeant Jeff Sobczak,
Stephanie Calder and David Soucie, thanks so much. I`m going to ask Randy Kessler if you could stay on with us. I have another story I need you to
weigh in on and that is this.
An Ohio cop finding himself in trouble after pulling over his daughter`s boyfriend, without just cause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re going to jail! Get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a seat in my car. We`ll make shit up as we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Oh, yes, I don`t think you`re supposed to make shit up. And that is not all. He also threatened a different teenager`s mother and
hauled his own daughter away in the back of the cruiser. Is this rogue police officer on the loose or is he just a dad looking out for his kid?
That is next.
[18:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Parents will do anything for their kids, right? Especially if something or someone is threatening their safety. But is it going too far
when you protect your own adult daughter from potential harm by abusing your privileges as a police officer? That is the question being asked in
Lorain, Ohio, tonight where Officer John Kovach -- John Kovach Jr. I should say, is no longer on the police force. That is because of what he did one
evening on the job, when he reportedly went looking for his 18-year-old daughter and ended up pulling over her boyfriend, even though there was no
legal reason for the traffic stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re going to jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a seat in my car. We`ll make shit up as we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:25:07] BANFIELD: Um, wow. 18-year-old Makai Coleman complied with officer Kovach`s orders and stayed in the back of the officer`s squad car
as the officer went after the next witness, the mother of a girl who was actually seated in Makai Coleman`s car. That mom had seen what was
happening on the street, because everything was right out in front of her house. And she actually recognized officer Kovach, too.
The officer was actually parked outside of her house, because he had been using office equipment, police equipment, to track his daughter`s computer.
And when he found it, low and behold, it was inside that house. And all of this is playing out as an official call comes over his radio to this on-
duty cop that there`s an unrelated road rage incident that he needs to actually officially respond to, which he promptly ignores.
Ignores in favor of drilling down on this mom outside her house and his daughter`s computer that he thinks is inside the house and maybe just his
daughter, which he thinks might be in the house, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A white female in a blue jeep with a gun. She is in a Ford Focus. Brown. She also called in, said he threatened her. She also
called in. She has a 1015 permit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does your dad know my daughter is in your house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My daughter in there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Would you like to check? She is not here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is her computer there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I just came from making dinner. My kids went to Walmart. Why would your daughter be in my house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. So if I check and you`re lying to me, you`re going to jail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can check and I`m not lying to you. I`m not lying, I don`t know why you`re accusing me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was told she was here. She is getting a ticket, because she wasn`t wearing a seat belt. So that is going to cost
you $200.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get a warrant to search my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. That is fine.
Just for your information, you`re getting a ticket for not wearing your seat belt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had my seat belt on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you didn`t.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can go to court then.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re being disorderly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How is I being disorderly? Would you like to go to jail?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are making this personal. How am I being disorderly?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wasn`t wearing her seatbelt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was wearing my seatbelt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How am I being disorderly? You are making this personal. You want to ticket my daughter because you think your daughter
is in my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. She wasn`t wearing her seatbelt. It`s on video. You`re obstructing me. This is your last warning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to call 911.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You call 911. I am --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re using the --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call 911, you`re going to jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Oh, boy. Tonight Officer Kovach is the one who`s actually in trouble. Because on top of ignoring the call about the road rage incident
and keeping the supposed traffic stop a secret, he didn`t actually report in that he`d stopped that car of his daughter`s boyfriend. His department
also says he was using those police resources to track down his daughter, which he is not supposed to do.
With me now, Katie Nix, reporter for the Chronicle Telegram, also former police officer, Brandon Tatum, and trial attorney, Randy Kessler. So,
Katie Nix, what`s the story with Officer John Kovach Jr. tonight. Is he officially off the force? Is he fighting it? What`s the status?
KATIE NIX, REPORTER, CHRONICLE TELEGRAM: He was terminated in the middle of May. It actually was out of the police chief`s hands. It went all the
way up to the city administration and the city administration terminated his employment. And he is fighting that termination with the help of the
police union. Now, the union has said that, you know, they`re doing this out of a contractual --
BANFIELD: Um, you`re frozen up. Darn it.
We got you back, but you froze up for a bit there, Katie. Sorry, Katie. You`re frozen up a little bit. I am going to actually get Brandon Tatum to
jump in here for a moment. I mean, I think you as a former police officer, Brandon, you`re finding a million ways from sideways why this is just so
super inappropriate. But is there anything appropriate about what he did? Because this is a dad who`s freaking out about his, albeit, adult daughter.
Freaking out about her, wanting to keep her safe. Is there anything appropriate about this stop?
BRANDON TATUM, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: There`s nothing appropriate. There`s nothing appropriate as a parent. There`s nothing appropriate as a
police officer. It`s absolutely unacceptable. This is why police officers have bad names. You cannot do any of these things and think that you can
avoid jail time. I think that this police officer, as a citizen and as a police officer, should go to prison. You know --
BANFIELD: Oh, wait, really?
TATUM: You cannot kidnap your daughter. She is 18. You cannot kidnap her boyfriend, all because you have some personal vendetta or you`re trying to
act outside the color of the law. This is a disgrace. This is unacceptable. I have nothing -- I have no respect for a person in a
uniform that is willing to go this far.
BANFIELD: Yes, especially -- you know something`s up when he just gets right to that window of the car and the first thing out of his mouth isn`t
"can I have your license and your registration," it`s, "get out, you`re going to jail." So, hold on for one second Brandon, I think you touch
something really interesting here. That you think he should go to jail, which would connote that something about this is kidnapping or criminal.
I want to play the next part because what happens next, he`s arguing with this mother who`s watching all this play out in front of her house, and
then he realizes the daughter he`s looking for isn`t in her house with the computer he tracked. She`s in the car. She`s in the backseat of the car.
So, this is what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s in the car. I didn`t even see you. Get out of the car. Get in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead, you guys are good. Ma`am, they can go with you.
Get in my car.
Goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye. Goodbye. Get in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can`t. You can`t take me. I`m 18.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can`t take her in, she`s an adult.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katlyn, you can get back in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you`re not. Get in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you taking me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in my car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Randy Kessler, the next thing that happened, I`m going to show it after the break, but the next thing that happened is he shoves her, 18,
into that cruiser and takes off with her and hell breaks loose. All holy hell breaks loose. But Randy Kessler, as an attorney, did Brandon Tatum
just hit on something that this could be kidnapping, that this could be criminal, that he could go to jail for that?
RANDY KESSLER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: It`s certainly false imprisonment. He put a guy in his car for absolutely no reason. He threatened a lady. When a
police officer says, you call 911 and you go to jail. What does that do to the system? He should be made an example of him. And you can`t have him as
a police officer, period. How could he ever be a witness for the prosecution?
When he gets on the witness stand to say, I saw somebody rob a bank, they show this video and say, that`s just the cop that would lie just because he
is protecting his daughter. He said, "we`ll make shit up as we go." His career is done. They should make an example of him. I`m glad it`s being
exposed.
BANFIELD: I`ll tell you what, like Katie had just said, he has been terminated. He is fighting it and he`s using the police union to do that.
After the break, guys, if you can stay put, Katie Nix is going to join us on the phone because her Skype got all crazy, there`s that second part of
what happened on that videotape.
And when I say holy hell breaks loose, just you wait until you see what this daughter, Katlyn Kovach, says and does in the back of that cruiser as
an 18-year-old woman with her dad driving away. You`re going to hear it all, next.
[18:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We`re still talking about the former Ohio police officer whose own dash cam helped his department to actually fire him. Because he spent
his time on the job using police resources to track down his adult daughter, pulling over her boyfriend for no reason, threatening the mom who
witnessed all of this, and even ignoring a call that was coming in on his radio from dispatch about a road rage incident that he was supposed to be
responding to.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White female in a blue jeep with a gun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My daughter in there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Would you like to check? She`s not here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is her computer there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would your daughter be in my house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. So if I checked and you`re lying to me, you`re going to jail. You`re obstructing me. This is your last warning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to call 911.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call 911, you`re going to jail. She`s in the car. I didn`t even see you. Get out of the car. Get in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Goodbye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you taking me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you taking me? You have to give me a reason, by law. Daddy, why are you pushing me?! Why are you pushing me?! Why are
you doing this?!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in my car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can`t! You can`t arrest me for no reason! You can`t! You can`t! You can`t!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katlyn! Knock it off!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you doing this?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Well, that`s uncomfortable. Katie Nix, I think you`re back with me on the phone. Can I ask you if Katlyn called back, the daughter, and
Makai Coleman, her boyfriend, took any action against Katlyn`s dad or is Katlyn realizing, gee, dad may have screwed up, but I still love him?
KATIE NIX, REPORTER, THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM (via telephone): Well, it looks like, according to the documents we received from the police
department, that Makai Coleman and his mother did file a complaint with the police department or at the very least, you know, spoke with one of the
lieutenants doing the internal investigation.
[18:40:07] And Katlyn Kavoch and her mother, John Kovach`s ex-wife, did speak with officers and essentially said that, you know, he was just being
a concerned dad in this situation and while it might have gotten out of hand, they don`t want him to lose everything because of this.
BANFIELD: So Randy Kessler, I guess, you know, look, he may have been a concerned dad. He may have been -- look, I`ve been out of my mind with
concern. I don`t have a police badge and a gun and a cruiser to get what I want out of my kids. But is there a civil suit here? We talked a little bit
about the criminal aspect of it. And certainly Brandon Tatum thought this was kidnapping. You thought that was the potential as well.
What about a good old-fashioned civil suit where, you know, maybe Makai said, for God`s sake, you know, you ordered me out of the car and told me
you were taking me to jail with no probable cause, no just cause. And then you threw me out of the backseat and said, get out, I need to make room for
the daughter. Is there a civil suit here?
KESSLER: Well, there is a civil suit, but is there a technical suit? Is it technically theft if you take a penny? So, you`ve got to have damages for a
civil suit. Yes, he did falsely imprison her and probably the boyfriend. But what`s a jury going to do? What did the daughter suffer? Did she have
any real damages? Did she have to go to the hospital and spend thousands of dollars? What are the damages? What`s the compensation?
So, I don`t think a lawyer is going to really pursue this. He`s going to be disciplined. And I think, you know, the bottom line is police officers are
defensive. People lie to them. They have to be on guard.
But when they found out that that mom wasn`t lying, an apology was appropriate. And I think there`s rectifying behavior. He`s going to make
some apologies. He`s going to take some anger management. I don`t think there`s going to be a civil suit. I think there is other way to handle
this.
BANFIELD: How about an apology to Katlyn? Let me just tell you one thing. To add insult to injury to this 18-year-old grown-up daughter, he gave a
reason for why he was grabbing her and throwing her in that car. And the reason was, he said he`d spoken with his ex-wife, who apparently wasn`t too
crazy about the boyfriend either.
And that the ex-wife had said to him, to dad, Katlyn said to me that if she can`t be with her boyfriend, Makai, then she doesn`t want to be there
anymore. Dad says that that, to him, was a threat of suicide as opposed to "doesn`t want to be around you, dad, if you don`t like the boyfriend."
I`m not going to judge what it was. But that`s his excuse. And now knowing that, watch what happens next as she`s in the back of that cruiser and the
suggestions that this is all about a threat of suicide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katlyn! Knock it off!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why you do this? You can`t do this! You can`t! You can`t take me for no reason.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She did nothing wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m an adult.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why are you putting her in the car?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was suicidal yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was not! You weren`t even with me yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I was. Well, Friday. Get in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Friday? I was not!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s going to the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t get me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me why she`s going to the hospital. So you think - -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s going to the hospital because she says she was going to kill herself Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I didn`t! I did not! I did not! I did not!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: OK. So, Brandon Tatum, you know your way in and out of the, you know, policing, but when it comes to a police union coming to your aid so
that you can fight your police force about your termination, do you think a police union is going to be able to do anything for this officer?
BRANDON TATUM, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: No. They`re going to give the best effort, because that`s why you pay your dues, they are going to represent
you. If you decide that you want to file a grievance, they have a duty to do that for you. But they have no leg to stand on.
This is wrong on multiple levels. I really think that he should be, you know, getting some counseling on being a parent. The girl is 18. You got to
let her go. You don`t like the boyfriend, too bad. She`s 18 years old.
BANFIELD: Hey, quick question. Quick question. I only got five seconds left. Is he going to get his pension? This guy has been on the force for 26
years.
TATUM: Well, he shouldn`t get his pension. He should lose his job. I don`t know what to tell him. He can`t do stuff like this. I don`t know what kind
of mental damage he`s going to cause to his daughter and that young man for what he`s done.
You got to be smart. I was a police officer. You know, there were times when people made me mad, I want to do things, but I have integrity, I care
about the people, I care about my pension. So I didn`t do it.
BANFIELD: And it`s why we invite you on the air a lot. Because you`re a good guy and you do the right thing. And same with you, Randy Kessler. And
my thanks as well to Katie Nix. I have to leave it there. Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.
So, I have a good news story for you about a good officer. Talk about a good dog. Great K-9. Look at him. Look! God, I just love this picture. That
little guy responsible for sniffing out $10 million worth of dope. Find out where, find out how, next.
[18:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: When trying to outsmart police, then criminals often find that they cannot get past the nose of a police dog.
[18:49:58] That is exactly what happened in a suburb of Chicago when a K-9 officer named Jayla helped the cops sniff out more than $10 million worth
of pot. And the photo is absolutely precious. Look at Jayla. Hello.
Here`s the officer posing for a photo surrounded by all the stuff. Piles, bags, the whole bit. Jayla alerted the officers about the scent at a
traffic stop. Searched at a Dodge pickup (ph) and the trailer revealed more than 1,500 pounds of not only cannabis but other pot products.
Police actually say there was so much stuff that even they could smell it, the pot, from outside the vehicle. And after admitting to police that he
had driven from California to Chicago, the driver, Jason Tanner, was ultimately arrested and charged with possession of more than 5,000 grams of
marijuana.
So I want to bring in retired police K-9 handler Jeff Schettler along with police and K-9 -- he`s a police and K-9 trainer but he`s joined by a
certified police K-9 Maverick. What is Maverick doing? You giving him treats?
JEFF SCHETTLER, POLICE AND MILITARY K-9 TRAINER: Yes.
BANFIELD: He`s a cutie.
SCHETTLER: I have to keep him in the chair, Ashleigh.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: I think you`ve been on with us before and he was just so well behaved. Stared straight ahead. My dog and my children never do that.
SCHETTLER: Well, I tell you what. A little bit of reward makes all the difference in the world.
BANFIELD: I guess I could learn a thing or two. Let me ask something. When will these guys ever learn that the Mavericks of the world have snouts
different than ours and it doesn`t matter how you design your fancy packaging, doesn`t matter if you turn it into big shipments of carrots, I
think we have pictures of some smuggler that turned it into a big shipment of carrots, the dog will find it?
It could be carrots and the dog will see through that silly disguise. It could be a box of limes. We have pictures of that as well. And the dog will
see through the disguise. When will they learn this?
SCHETTLER: Well, actually, I kind of hope they don`t, because that`s good job security for us. So the simple fact that they continue to try to test
the dog is very, very good for us. And the dogs are just evolving. They`re getting better. I mean, 20 years ago, they were just a fact similarly of
what they are today. Today, they are just absolutely amazing.
BANFIELD: There are these two other examples I want to show you. One in 2017 of a lettuce shipment apparently in Laredo, Texas. Two tons. Street
value three quarters of a million dollars. Apparently it took the narcotics K-9 team as well as imaging -- I love this -- imaging inspection systems.
I mean, it really does look like lettuce to me. Is there anything that actually masks the scent of marijuana? I mean, you can make it look fancy.
But can you do something about the scent that really does thwart the puppy dogs?
SCHETTLER: Well, there are things that can kind of mask it but it`s not so much masking it is as getting rid of it. There has to be some way to
contain the material to actually contain the odor. It`s physically impossible to completely mask the odor. If the dog can detect odor at all
emanating from the substance, they`ll detect the narcotics.
BANFIELD: What`s the best thing that Maverick`s ever been able to sniff out? Let`s lose the banner so I can see Maverick`s cute little face because
he is down low in the chair. Hi, Maverick. Hi, buddy.
SCHETTLER: Yeah. Maverick, come up, buddy. Come on. Come on.
BANFIELD: What`s the best thing he`s ever found?
SCHETTLER: Right now -- he`s just in training right now. He`s a young pup. He`s only about 11 months old. His specific job is tracking and hunting
people. But he`s also going to be working on narcotics, you know, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, cocaine.
These are going to be the things that he actually has to hunt for. So right now, he is just in training. We`re hoping to have him certified within the
next 90 to 120 days.
BANFIELD: My Lord. Well, I can`t thank you enough for bringing the dog. He`s just a puppy. He`s a good boy. He`s a good boy. Thank you for being
here, Jeff. Really appreciate it.
SCHETTLER: Absolutely. Thanks, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: If you can, give Maverick a big muzzle kiss for me. That`s what I do. I just get right in there.
SCHETTLER: I will do that. All right, buddy. There we go.
(LAUGHTER)
BANFIELD: Thank you for doing that. I feel like I`m there with you.
SCHETTLER: Handsome boy.
BANFIELD: Yes, he is. Both of you. Thank you, Jeff. I appreciate it.
(LAUGHTER)
SCHETTLER: All right, Ashleigh. Thanks. Bye.
BANFIELD: So, coming up, talk about smoke on the water. You know what I`m talking about. This Florida fishing trip turns into a rescue mission really
minute to minute after a nearby boat erupts into flames. I`ll show you what happened, next.
[18:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Got one more thing for you tonight. A family fishing trip goes from chill to thrill when a nearby boat bursts into flames. Crew of the
Lady Pamela rushed to the scene to rescue the six people who are on board. One man almost fell overboard before actually being pulled to safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It went from smoke to fire within three to four minutes. I`m telling you, it was ridiculous. My god, they wanted to kiss me
but I wouldn`t let them.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Talk about being in the right place at the right time. The burning boat, by the way, total loss. It actually sank even before the
coastguard could secure it.
[19:00:02] And at this point, we still don`t really know what started that fire. Such a bummer. Very nice boat. But it`s a good thing all those people
are safe.
Next hour of CRIME AND JUSTICE starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get me the (bleep) off the (bleep) plane!
BANFIELD (voice-over): Flipping out on board a flight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t care. Put me in a (bleep) vest.
BANFIELD: But not because the plane was late.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We weren`t on the ground for five minutes.
BANFIELD: So what was behind this outburst? And how can airlines protect their passengers if someone like this gets even more threatening?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there`s nothing you can do. There`s nowhere you can go.
BANFIELD: A peace officer is less than peaceful trying to track down his adult daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was told she was here.
BANFIELD: He pulls her boyfriend over for no reason. Threatens a mom who steps in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You call 911, you`re going to jail.
BANFIELD: And forces his daughter into his cruiser.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can`t do this! You can`t!
BANFIELD: All of it caught on camera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s on video.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now he`s lost his job. But was it all so he wouldn`t lose his kid?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was suicidal yesterday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was not!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to the second hour of CRIME AND JUSTICE.
They were just 75 miles away from where they need to be. A flight full of cross country travelers just trying to get from Houston to Minneapolis.
But the plane was diverted because somebody on board was having a medical emergency. It happens. And airlines do their level best to get you down
to the ground as quickly as possible. So instead of Minneapolis, this plane landed just minutes shy of its destination and instead of
Minneapolis, Rochester. Rochester, Minnesota.
That was the easy part. The surprise that was coming, nobody could foresee. Because once the patient was offloaded and presumably on the way
to getting some help, the whole thing went sideways when a different passenger became the story. Growing so unruly that she took her anger down
the aisle and eventually right into the hands of law enforcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get me the (bleep) off this god (bleep) plane! You want to be bitchy to me! You will see me (bleep) pissed! Get me the
(bleep) out of here! I will -- I don`t (bleep) care! Put me in a (bleep) vest! You know who my brothers are? They`re marine snipers! You want to
(bleep) with the marines?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just let her off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me the (bleep) off! Go to (bleep) hell! You want to know what hell is? I have (bleep) been there! I`ve lived to tell the
(bleep) story! You don`t know! You don`t know! Get me the (bleep) out of here! Get me the (bleep) out of here!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joining me now, "CRIME AND JUSTICE" producer Michael Christian. Also on the phone with me the officer who escorted that passenger off the
plane. And Chanti Washington was on that same flight as the irate passenger. She is going to give us a little bit more, maybe fuller picture
as to what happened there. CNN safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector David Soucie joins me and trial attorney Andy Kessler as well.
Michael Christian, I`m going to begin with you. Why was she so upset?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: I`m not sure we`ll ever completely know, but the flight was leaving yesterday morning, Monday
morning from Houston to Minneapolis. It was diverted because of this medical emergency of another passenger. That unfortunately is relatively
normal. That`s not a big deal. But something about this diversion set this female passenger off.
BANFIELD: But it wasn`t, like, three hours on the ground and massive delays. I mean, they were actually getting going pretty quickly.
CHRISTIAN: They got this guy off the plane pretty quickly. They were going to go back into the air quickly. You have to think what in god`s
name would have happened if this had happened when they were in the air? Thankfully they were on the ground. But something set this woman off. She
ran amok as you see.
[19:05:08] BANFIELD: Yes. No one was hurt, correct?
CHRISTIAN: Correct.
BANFIELD: It looks very agro. It looked a little scary. It looked at any moment somebody could get hurt, but nobody was hurt. So I do want to play
a little bit more, Michael, because look. We have seen the crazy stuff happen. You know, snobby people thinking, you know, do you know who I am,
that thing. And that`s not offensive or frightening. But this got a little frightening because she started to threaten that her brothers were
with the marines, they were snipers. And the tone of her voice was very threatening. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t (bleep) care! Put me in a (bleep) vest! You know who my brothers are? They`re (bleep) marine snipers! You want to
(bleep) with the marines?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let her off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So sergeant (INAUDIBLE), you got to this aircraft having been alerted to a passenger that was being difficult. You had no way of knowing
what we have just seen. You had not seen this video. You came when you were called. And what did you experience?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, ma`am. We had no idea that the woman had been acting like that. We were aware of the medical call maybe ten minutes
prior to that. And then we received a call that there`s an unruly passenger that the pilots wanted removed so they could leave.
We got down there. I met with the pilot. Informed us the woman was at the back of the plane quiet now. But he would like her removed. Officers and
I went up there, made our way because it was the very last row of the plane. And the rest of the passengers were calm, doing -- minding their
business. We got to the back. I still didn`t know who was supposed to be taken off the plane because nobody was acting irate in any way. Flight
crew pointed to a female sitting in the middle seat back row and she appeared -- her eyes were closed. She appeared to be sleeping.
The gentleman in the aisle sitting next to her asked if he could speak with me. And I said yes. And whether he knew her or through talking with her
during the flight informed me that she was a combat veteran. And that he had her settled down and everything would be fine now. And I informed him,
well, the pilot would like her removed. And then went and made contact with her. I asked her -- I realized then possibly we were dealing with
somebody with more of a mental health issue rather than someone mad at the airline. She was quiet and I asked her if she was doing OK. She said yes.
I asked her if she had an episode earlier. She said she did and she began to cry.
BANFIELD: What do you mean by episode, sergeant?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, individuals with mental health, especially PTSD veterans, something or any mental health issue, something triggers an --
either crying or a violent out -- or just like she was. Swearing and wanting to get out of that confined space. And I don`t know what it was,
but I knew it had to have been something that triggered that. And she admitted she had.
BANFIELD: You know, I think -- while you`re saying this, I think, you know, sergeant, there`s some video I think where you can actually capture
not only that she`s angry but she is also crying. She can be, you know, clearly seen -- it`s difficult. We are actually blurring out her face
because if this is a -- I mean, you can definitely see her being consoled there by someone. And what`s really interesting is that she was flying
alone. So this someone is not a family member to our knowledge. I think she had alerted this was her first flight since returning from combat?
First flight alone since returning from combat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. She indicated to me this is her first time flying and she felt she was being picked on. I don`t know what that meant. But
it was her first time flying since being in the army. And you`re correct. If you look at that video, it`s hard to hear part of the end there. You
can hear her talking to herself and asking for help as she cries and walks back to her seat. So that`s someone who does not like feeling the way she
was feeling at the time. And she might not know why either.
BANFIELD: I mean, you could hear it. You can hear the weeping, actually, in this video.
Sergeant, that brings me to the idea that when you, again, this had to be confusing for you. You are expecting to see an irate passenger. You get
on a very quiet plane and you find the passenger looking to be almost asleep. The passenger beside her is a bit of a hero here. Because he
diffused a lot of it. He gleaned the information. And then you thanked her for her service first.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did. I didn`t want her to -- especially if the issue was any PTSD issue, of course, I would thank her for her service. What she
is going through, it`s not her fault and she might not know why she`s feeling that way. And, yes, I`m very thankful for the gentleman. I didn`t
even get his name. Having not known that information, it would have been more difficult, possibly, to communicate with her.
[19:10:25] BANFIELD: Can I ask you about just sort of vetting some of the -- listen, I have no idea but God bless her. If she is a returning vet and
she is suffering, then she deserves to have our support. You know, her fellow Americans` support. None of us knows what it`s like to walk in
those shoes. None of us. And so anybody passing any judgment.
But I do have to ask if we know for sure that is true? This is all happening so fast, how could you possibly be able to vet this stuff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t. I don`t know where I would even follow up to find out if that was true or not. It`s -- she did mention, of course, her
brothers. Who knows if that`s true. I`m not sure. But she did respond emotionally when I did bring up her service. And she was emotional even
saying that she was in the army. So I have no reason not to believe her. And we just moved on from there and were able to get her off the plane.
BANFIELD: So, it`s hard as observers of this. I mean, as you know, observers of this, it`s hard looking at that video of her crying and
hearing that this is her potential past that she`s a returning veteran. And then comparing to it her telling everyone to go to hell.
Take a look again. And I want to address how aggressive she sounds. Because there are children on the plane. There are parents and there are
others, some of them visibly upset. And several who got off the plane and were crying. So have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let me the (bleep) off you bastards! Go to hell! You want to know what hell is? I have been there! Ten (bleep) times! I have
lived to tell the (bleep) story! You don`t know. You don`t (bleep) know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Chanti Washington, you were on that plane. And you were one of the people who got off that plane and were visibly upset and shaken and
emotional. Tell me about what you were going through when all of this was happening.
CHANTI WASHINGTON, ON THE SAME FLIGHT AS IRATE PASSENGER: You know, you think this is, you know, isn`t real. You know, how could I be in this
confined space with what is going on, you know? You know, everyone was fine in the air. You know, why now? What was her breaking point when we
were literally on the ground maybe five minutes? So, you know, you get -- you are shaking. Everyone is quiet. They are crying, including myself.
And it takes a lot to shake me up. And you know, I just didn`t know what to do and there was nowhere to go, so. I mean, all you can do is just sit
there and be patient and quiet so that you wouldn`t press further buttons.
BANFIELD: you know, that`s the other issue. And I think, you know, many people are becoming acutely aware, you are in a very small space. Not only
are you confined in a very small space, but you are also belted in. And if you are in a middle or a window seat, you can`t even move a muscle. It`s a
very stressful situation if someone among you is losing it.
And I know for a fact there were children on the plane. Were you able to witness how some of the parents were handling this and how they were a,
trying to protect their children, but b, trying to shield their children from a torrent of foul language? We can`t play most of it on television.
WASHINGTON: Yes. You know, some of the kids were already crying already. As you can hear in the video, of course, some of the parents were trying to
shield their kids, you know, covering their faces. It was just a lot going on to even see the entire plane because all of our attention was on that
passenger.
BANFIELD: So let me ask David Soucie about the realities now. Listen. We have been playing these things over and over again and I have said it
before, I`ll say it again. Some of them are just obnoxious and some are downright frightening. This woman was not a 6`4," 240 man that would be
difficult to manage. But she had a tone that was scary and there were kids.
David, what is the responsibility of airlines who pack us into these tiny little tubes and take a lot of our money, what is the responsibility of the
airlines to make sure that we are going to be OK the next time somebody goes off and maybe doesn`t restrain him or herself?
DAVID SOUCIE, CNN AVIATION SAFETY ANALYST: Well, they talk a lot about how passenger safety is their number one priority and it is. But what does
that mean exactly? Does that mean they have someone on there to protect you from every other passenger on the airplane? No. That`s not what it
means. What it means is they are making sure you are safe. But that goes beyond that and you look at this situation. Could this woman have harmed
someone else? Most definitely.
I`m very surprised, Ashleigh, too, we talked earlier about this that they put her back onto a shuttle to fly back home again. And I`m very surprised
they did that right away judging by her instability. So that passenger -- every airline has a right to identify a passenger as not being fit to fly.
And the fact she was determined to be that that quickly right after this incident really surprises me. So that --
[19:15:37] BANFIELD: You know, let me ask the sergeant about that.
Sergeant (INAUDIBLE), did she go on a flight shuttle or a bus? Because this is 75 miles away?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We have a -- there`s a shuttle that runs between Rochester and Minneapolis every 20 minutes. It`s a van. And she was not
going to be allowed on any flight.
BANFIELD: Yes, I was interested in that as well. And by the way, did anyone check to see if there was alcohol involved?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I -- she was not tested, but when I got close to her to talk privately, I could smell a little bit on her. I don`t know if they
sell that on spirit. I have no idea whether it was from the terminal at Houston.
BANFIELD: And you know, listen. I wouldn`t want to be in your shoes for a million reasons. We owe you a debt of gratitude for the dangers that you
put yourself in to every single day on the job. So I thank you this as well for this. She could have faced, sergeant, disorderly conduct. And
who knew if, you know -- I mean, who knew if her story was true. If it was true, dear God. I think you are a saint to help her out and let her get to
her family. But how did you make that calculation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, this and any situation we deal with individuals with mental health issues and I`m not trying to make light of her actions
on the plane at all. I can`t imagine having been sitting there listening to that. But in the end discussing with the officers, it was determined
that really a citation of someone for court, she gets fined. Is that going to deter her from any kind of outburst there at a mall? Probably not.
Because the reason for it is a mental health issue and that`s not helped by court.
I hope she is going to get some help. I hope through this her family realizes she needs it if she wasn`t given already. But in the end, that`s
really what she need. And that might not be what everybody wants to hear, but for her I believe not to act out that way again, that`s the course of
action instead of any kind of court procedure.
BANFIELD: Yes. Hey, Randy Kessler, I got ten seconds left. But does the airline have the right to say you just can`t fly on our airline again and
then tell other airlines?
RANDY KESSLER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: They absolutely do have that right. And I think they are going to have to look at this. Not only because we want her
to get help and we want people to be safe. They don`t want the liability if something bad happens. Thank goodness this happened. We are shedding
some light on it. They are going to have to investigate and do more. Put people on the plane, you know, cameras on the plane. There`s a lot
airlines are looking at now.
BANFIELD: And you know what? It just keeps umping up.
So I want to thank all of you for your input.
Michael Christian, thank you.
Sergeant, thank you as well.
Chanti Washington, I hope you are going to be OK.
David Soucie, thank you for your knowledge on this topic as well.
And Randy Kessler, I`m going to ask you to stick around if you will please.
An Ohio cop finds himself in trouble after pulling over his daughter`s boyfriend without just cause.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can get out. You are going to jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ll make shit up as we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yes. You`re not allowed to make shit up as you go. And wait until you hear the other threats. That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:23:38] BANFIELD: Parents will do anything for their kids, right? Especially if something or someone is threatening their safety. But is it
going too far when you protect your own adult daughter from potential harm by abusing your privileges as a police officer? That`s the question being
asked in Lorain, Ohio, tonight where Officer John Kovach Jr. I should say is no longer on the police force. That`s because of what he did one
evening on the job. When he reportedly while looking for his 18-year-old daughter and ended up pulling over her boyfriend even though there was no
legal reason for the traffic stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re going to jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have a seat in my car. We`ll make shit up as we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Wow. 18-year-old Makai Coleman complied with officer Kovach`s orders and stayed in the back of the officer`s squad car as the officer
went after the next witness. The mother of a girl who was actually seated in Makai Coleman`s car. That mom had seen what was happening on the street
because everything was right out in front of her house. And she actually recognized the officer too.
The officer was actually parked outside of her house because she had been using office equipment, police equipment to track his daughter`s computer.
And when he found it, lo and behold, it was inside that house. And all of this is playing out as an official call comes over his radio to this on-
duty cop there`s an unrelated road rage incident he needs to officially respond to. Which he promptly ignores. Ignores of favor in drilling down
this mom outside of her house. And his daughter`s computer that he thinks is inside his house and maybe his daughter who he thinks might be in the
house too.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[19:25:45] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: White female in a blue jeep (INAUDIBLE) gun. She`s in a Ford Focus. Brown. She also called in, he threatened her. She
has a 1015 permit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does your dad know my daughter is in your house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. My daughter in there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Would you like to check? She`s not here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is her computer there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I just come from making dinner. My kids went to Walmart. Why would you daughter be in my house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. So if I can check and if you are lying you are going to jail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can check and I`m not lying to you. I don`t know why you`re accusing me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I was told she was here. She is getting a ticket because she wasn`t wearing her seat belt. Your daughter. That`s going to
cost you $200.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get a warrant to check my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. That`s fine. You are getting a ticket for not wearing your seat belt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had my seat belt on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you didn`t. You could go to court then. You are being disorderly. Would you like to go to jail?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How am I being disorderly? You`re making this personal. You`re ticketing my daughter because you think your daughter is
in my house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. She wasn`t wearing her seatbelt. It`s on video. You`re obstructing me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to call 911. Because you think --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You call 911. I am --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So let`s call 911.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call 911, you`re going to jail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Oh, boy. Tonight officer Kovach is the one who is actually in trouble. Because on top of ignoring the call about the road rage incident
and keeping the supposed traffic stop a secret, he didn`t actually report in that he had stopped that car of his daughter`s boyfriend. His
department also says he was using those police resources to track down his daughter which he is not supposed to do.
With me now, Katie Nix, reporter for the Chronicle Telegram, also former police officer Brandon Tatum, and trial attorney Randy Kessler.
So Katie Nix, what`s the story with Officer John Kovach Jr. tonight? He is officially off the force? Is he fighting? What`s the status?
KATIE NIX, REPORTER, THE CHRONICLE TELEGRAM: He was terminated in the middle of May. It actually was out of the police chief`s hands. It went
all the way up to the city administration. The administration terminating his employment and he is fighting that termination with the help of the
police union. Now, the union has said that, you know, they are doing this out of a contractual --
BANFIELD: You have frozen up. Darn it. We got you back, but you froze up for a bit there. Sorry, Katie. You are frozen up a little bit.
I`m going to actually get Brandon Tatum to jump in here for a moment. I mean, I think you as a former police officer, Brandon, you are finding a
million ways to sideways why this is so super inappropriate. But is there anything appropriate about what he did? Because this is a dad who is
freaking out about his albeit adult daughter. Freaking out about her wanting to keep her safe. Is there anything appropriate about this stop?
BRANDON TATUM, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: There is nothing appropriate as a parent. There is nothing appropriate as a police officer. It is
absolutely unacceptable. This is why police officers have bad names. You cannot do any of these things and think that you can avoid jail time. I
think this police officer as a citizen and as a police officer should go to prison. You know, you --
BANFIELD: Wait, really?
TATUM: You cannot kidnap your daughter. She`s 18. You cannot kidnap her boyfriend all because you have some personal vendetta or you are trying act
outside the color of the law. This is a disgrace. This is unacceptable. I have no respect for a person in a uniform that`s willing to go this far.
He should work on parenting skills.
BANFIELD: You know something`s up when he gets right to the window of the car and the first thing out of his mouth isn`t can I have your license and
registration. It`s get out, you are going to jail. So hold for one second, Brandon. I think you touched on something really interesting here
that you think he should go to jail which we connote that something about this is kidnapping or criminal.
I want to play the next part. Because what happens next, he is arguing with this mother who is watching all this play out in front of her house.
And then he realizes the daughter he is looking for isn`t in her house with the computer he tracked. She`s in the car. She`s in the back seat of the
car. So this is what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KOVACH, FIRED POLICE OFFICER: She`s in the car. I didn`t even see you. Get out of the car. Get in my car.
KATLYN KOVACH, DAUGHTER OF FIRED POLICE OFFICER: But why?
J. KOVACH: Go ahead, you guys are good. Ma`am, they can go with you. Get in my car.
K. KOVACH: (INAUDIBLE)
J. KOVACH: Good bye.
MAKAI COLEMAN, BOYFRIEND OF KATLYN KOVACH: What?
J. KOVACH: Good bye. Good-bye. Get in my car.
K. KOVACH: You can`t -- you can`t take me. I`m 18.
(CROSSTALK)
COLEMAN: You can`t take her. She`s an adult now.
J. KOVACH: Good bye.
COLEMAN: You can take her in, she`s an adult.
J. KOVACH: Good bye.
COLEMAN: Katlyn, you can get back in the car.
(CROSSTALK)
J. KOVACH: You`re not. Get in my car.
K. KOVACH: Why are you taking me?
J. KOVACH: Get in my car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Randy Kessler, the next thing that happened, and I`m going to show it after the break, but the next thing that happens is he shoves her,
18, into that cruiser and takes off with her, and hell breaks loose. All holy hell breaks loose. But Randy Kessler, as an attorney, did Brandon
Tatum just hit on something that this could be kidnapping, that this could be criminal, that he could go to jail for that?
RANDY KESSLER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: It can be 100 things. Certainly, it`s false imprisonment. He put a guy in his car for absolutely no reason, he
threatened a lady. When a police officer says, you call 911 and you will go to jail? I mean, what does that do to the system? He should be made an
example of. I mean, you can`t have him as a police officer, period, because how could he ever be a witness for the prosecution? When he gets
on the witness stand to say, I saw somebody, you know, rob a bank, they`d show this video and say that`s the cop that would lie just because he was
protecting his daughter. He said we`ll make shit up as we go. I mean, his career is done. And they should make an example of him. I`m glad it`s
being exposed.
BANFIELD: I`ll tell you what, like Katie had just said, he`s been terminated, he`s fighting it, and he`s using the police union to do that.
After the break, guys, if you can stay put and Katie (INAUDIBLE) is going to join us on the phone because her Skype got all crazy. There`s that
second part of what happens on that videotape. And when I say, holy hell breaks loose, just you wait until you see what this daughter, Katlyn Kovach
says and does in the back of that cruiser as an 18-year-old woman with her dad driving away. You`re going to hear it all, next.
[19:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We`re still talking about the former Ohio police officer whose own dash cam helped his department to actually fire him because he spent
his time on the job using police resources to track down his adult daughter, pulling over her boyfriend for no reason, threatening the mom who
witnessed all of this, and even ignoring a call that was coming in on his radio from dispatch about a road rage incident that he was supposed to be
responding to.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RADIO DISPATCH: I want to advise a white female in a blue jeep (INAUDIBLE) a gun.
J. KOVACH: My daughter in there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Would you like to check? She`s not here.
J. KOVACH: Why is her computer there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would your daughter be in my house?
J. KOVACH: I don`t know. You don`t -- so, if I check and you`re lying to me, you`re going to jail. You`re obstructing me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
J. KOVACH: This is your last warning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to call 911.
J. KOVACH: Call 911, you`re going to jail. She`s in the car. I didn`t even see you. Get out of the car. Get in my car.
K. KOVACH: But why?
J. KOVACH: Good bye.
COLEMAN: What?
J. KOVACH: Good bye.
K. KOVACH: Why are you taking me?
COLEMAN: Get in the car.
J. KOVACH: Get in my car.
K. KOVACH: Why are you taking me? You have to give me a reason, by law. Daddy, why are you pushing me? Why are you -- why are you (BLEEP) pushing
me? Why are you doing this? (INAUDIBLE)
J. KOVACH: Get in my car.
K. KOVACH: You can`t -- you can`t arrest me for no reason! You can`t! You can`t! You can`t!
J. KOVACH: Katlyn, knock it off!
K. KOVACH: Why are you (INAUDIBLE) why do you do this?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Well, that`s uncomfortable. Katie Nix, I think you`re back with me on the phone. Can I ask you if Katlyn Kovach, the daughter and Makai
Coleman, her boyfriend, took any action against Katlyn`s dad, or is Katlyn realizing, geez, dad may have screwed up but I still love him?
KATIE NIX, REPORTER, THE CHRONICLE-TELEGRAM (via telephone): Well, it looked like according to the documents we received from the police
department that Makai Coleman and his mother did file a complaint with the police department or at the very least, you know, spoke with the -- one of
the lieutenants doing the internal investigation. And Katlyn Kovach and her mother, John Kovach`s ex-wife, did speak with officers and essentially
said that, you know, he was just being a concerned dad in the situation. And while it might have gotten out of hand, they don`t want him to lose
everything because of this.
[19:39:53] BANFIELD: So, Randy Kessler, I guess, you know, look, he may have been a concerned dad. He may have been -- look, I`ve been out of my
mind with concern. I don`t have a police badge and a gun and a cruiser to get what I want out of my kids. But is there a civil suit here? We talked
a little bit about the criminal aspect of it and certainly Brandon Tatum thought this is kidnapping. You thought that that`s potential as well.
What about just a good old fashioned civil suit, where, you know, maybe Makai says, for God`s sake, you know, you ordered me out of the car and
told me you were taking me to jail with no probable cause, no just cause. And then you threw me out of the backseat and said get out, I need to make
room for the daughter. Is there a civil suit here?
KESSLER: Well, there is a civil suit. But, you know, there is -- is there a technically suit? IYn is it technically theft if you take a penny? So,
you`ve got to have damages for a civil suit. Yes, he did falsely imprison her and probably the boyfriend, you know, but what`s the jury going to do?
What did the daughter suffer? Did she have any real damages? Did she have to go to the hospital and spent thousands of dollars? What are the
damages? What are the compensation? So, I don`t think the lawyers are really going to pursue this. He`s going to be disciplined. And I think,
you know, the bottom line is police officers are defensive. People lie to them. They have to be on guard. But when they found out that that mom
wasn`t lying, an apology was appropriate, and I think there`s rectifying behavior. He`s going to make some apologies, he`s going to take some anger
management, and I don`t think there`s going to be a civil suit. I think there are other ways to handle this.
BANFIELD: How about -- how about an apology to Katlyn? And let me just tell you one thing.
KESSLER: Absolutely.
BANFIELD: To add insult to injury to this 18-year-old grown up daughter, he gave a reason for why he was grabbing her and throwing her in that car.
And the reason was he said he`d spoken with his ex-wife who apparently wasn`t too crazy about the boyfriend either, and that the ex-wife had said
to him, to dad, Katlyn said to me that if she can`t be with her boyfriend, Makai, then she doesn`t want to be there anymore. Dad says that that to
him was a threat of suicide, as opposed to doesn`t want to be around you, dad, if you don`t like the boyfriend. I`m not going to judge what it was,
but that`s his excuse. And now knowing that, watch what happens next as she`s in the back of that cruiser and the suggestions that this was all
about a threat of suicide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K. KOVACH: I can`t --
J. KOVACH: Knock it off!
K. KOVACH: You don`t want me (INAUDIBLE) why do you this? You can`t do this! You can`t! You can`t take me for no reason!
COLEMAN: Yes, she did nothing.
K. KOVACH: I`m an adult.
J. KOVACH: Get in the car.
COLEMAN: Why are you putting her in the car?
J. KOVACH: She was suicidal yesterday.
K. KOVACH: I was not! You weren`t even with me yesterday.
J. KOVACH: Yes, I -- well, Friday. Get in the car!
K. KOVACH: Friday? I was not.
J. KOVACH: Get in the car. She`s going to the hospital.
COLEMAN: For what?
K. KOVACH: Don`t (INAUDIBLE)
COLEMAN: For what? Tell me why she`s going to the hospital. So, you think that -- what?
J. KOVACH: She`s going to the hospital because she said she was going to kill herself Friday.
K. KOVACH: No, I didn`t. I did not. I did not.
(CROSSTALK)
COLEMAN: -- said anything?
J. KOVACH: Yes.
K. KOVACH: I did not.
COLEMAN: Do you have anything?
K. KOVACH: I did not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: OK. So, Brandon Tatum, you know your way in and out of the, you know, policing but when it comes to a police union coming to your aid so
that you can fight your police force about your termination. Do you think the police union is going to be able to do anything for this officer?
BRANDON TATUM, FORMER POLICE OFFICER: No. They`re going to give their best effort because that`s why you pay your dues for them to represent you.
If you decide that you want to file a grievance, they have a duty to do that for you. But they have no leg to stand on. This is wrong on multiple
levels. I really think that he should be, you know, get some counseling on being a parent. The girl is 18. You got to let her go. You don`t like
the boyfriend, too bad. She`s 18 years old.
BANFIELD: Hey, quick question.
TATUM: You know, you have to work around those.
BANFIELD: Quick question, I only got five seconds left. Is he going to get his pension? This guy has been on the force for 26 years.
TATUM: Well, he shouldn`t get his pension. He should lose his job. I don`t know what to tell him. He can`t do stuff like this. I don`t know
what kind of mental damage he`s going to cause his daughter and that young man for what he`s done. You got to be smart. I was a police officer. I
want to -- you know, there`s times that people made me mad and I wanted to do things, but I have integrity, I care about the people, I care about my
pension, so I didn`t do it. And that`s the --
BANFIELD: And it`s why -- it`s why we invite you on the air a lot, because you`re a good guy and you do the right thing. And same with you, Randy
Kessler. My thanks as well to Katie nix, I have to leave it there. Thank you, guys, appreciate it.
So I have a good new story for you about a good officer. Talk about a good dog. Great K-9. Look at him. Look, look. Oh, God, I just love this
picture. That little guy responsible for sniffing out $10 million worth of dope. Find out where, find out how, next.
[19:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: When they`re trying to outsmart police, then criminals often find that they cannot get past the nose of a police dog. And that is
exactly what happened in a suburb of Chicago when a K-9 officer named Jada helped the cops sniff out more than $10 million worth of pot. And the
photo is absolutely precious. Look at Jada. Hello! Here is the officer posing for a photo surrounded by all the stuff. A pile of bags, the whole
bit.
[19:50:06] Jada alerted the officers about the scent at a traffic stop. Search for the Dodge pickup and the trailer revealed more than 1500 pound
of Cannabis but other pot products. Police actually say there was so much stuff that even they could smell it, the pot from outside the vehicle. And
after admitting to police that he driven from California to Chicago, the driver, Jason Tanner, was ultimately arrested and charged with possession
of more 5,000 grams of marijuana.
I want to bring in retired police canine handler, Jeff Schettler along with police and K-9 -- he`s a police and K-9 trainer but he`s joined by a
certified police K-9, Maverick. What`s Maverick doing? Are you giving him treats?
JEFF SCHETTLER, RETIRED POLICE K-9 HANDLER: Yes.
BANFIELD: He`s a cutie. (INAUDIBLE) dog.
SCHETTLER: I have to keep him in the chair, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: I think you`ve been on with us before. He was just so well- behaved, just stared straight ahead. My dog and my children never do that.
SCHETTLER: Well, I`ll tell you what, a little bit of reward makes all the difference in the world.
BANFIELD: I guess. I could learn a thing or two. Let me ask you something, when will these guys ever learn? When will these guys ever
learn that the Mavericks of the world have snouts different than ours, and that it doesn`t matter how you design your fancy packaging, it doesn`t
matter if you turn it into a big shipment of carrots -- I think we have pictures of some smuggler that turned it into a big shipment of carrots.
The dog will find it. It could be carrots and the dog will see through that silly little disguise. It could be box of limes, we have pictures of
that as well, and the dog will see through the disguise. When will they learn this?
SCHETTLER: Well, actually, I kind of hope they don`t because that`s good job security for us. So, the simple fact that they continue to try to test
the dog is very, very good for us. And the dogs are just evolving. They`re getting better. I mean, 20 years ago, they were just a facsimile
of what they are today. Today, they`re just absolutely amazing.
BANFIELD: So, there`s these two other examples I want to show you, one in 2017, of a lettuce shipment. Apparently in Laredo, Texas, two tons, street
value three-quarters of a million dollars. Apparently, it took the narcotics K-9 team as well as imaging -- I love this imaging inspection
systems. I mean, it really does look like lettuce to me. Is there -- is there anything that actually masks the scent of marijuana? I mean, you can
make it look fancy but can you do something about the scent that really does thwart the puppy dogs?
SCHETTLER: Well, there are things that can kind of mask it, but it`s not so much masking it is as getting rid of it. There has to be some way to
contain the material to actually contain the odor. It`s physically impossible to completely mask the odor. If the dog can detect odor at all
emanating from the substance, they`ll detect the narcotics.
BANFIELD: What`s the -- what`s the best thing that maverick has ever been able to sniff out? Let`s lose the banner so I can see Maverick`s cute
little face because he`s down low in the chair. Hey, Maverick. Hey, buddy.
SCHETTLER: Yes. Maverick, come on up, buddy. Come on. Come on. Come on. There you go.
BANFIELD: What`s the best thing he has ever found? What`s he`s biggest (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
SCHETTLER: Well, right now, he`s just in training right now, he`s a young pup, he`s only about 11 months old.
BANFIELD: Really?
SCHETTLER: His specific job is tracking and hunting people. But he`s also going to be working on narcotics, you know, methamphetamine, heroin,
marijuana, cocaine. These are going to be the things that he actually has to hunt for. So, right now, he`s just in training, and we`re hoping to
have him certified within the next 90 to 120 days.
BANFIELD: My lord. Well, I can`t thank you enough for bringing the dog. And he`s just a puppy. A good boy. He`s a good boy. Thank you for being
here, Jeff.
SCHETTLER: Oh, yeah.
BANFIELD: I really appreciate it.
SCHETTLER: Absolutely. Thanks, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: And give -- if you can, give Maverick a big muzzle kiss for me because that`s what I -- that`s what I do. I just get right in there.
SCHETTLER: All right. We`ll do that. There we go.
BANFIELD: Thank you for doing that. See, I`m like in there with you.
SCHETTLER: He`s a good boy.
BANFIELD: He is. Both of you. Thank you, Jeff, appreciate it.
SCHETTLER: All right, Ashleigh, thanks, bye!
BANFIELD: OK. So, coming up, talk about smoke on the water. You know what I`m talking about. This Florida fishing trip turns into a rescue
mission really minute to minute after a nearby boat erupts into flames. We`re going to show you what happens next.
[19:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: "ONE MORE THING" for you tonight, a charter fishing boat on fire just offshore of Fort Lauderdale. The crew of a nearby boat, thank God,
rushed to the scene to rescue the six people who were on board. Those good Samaritans were thinking fast. Grabbed one man who almost fell overboard
before they were able to pull him to safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It went from smoke to fire within three to four minutes. I`m telling you, it was ridiculous. Oh, my God, they wanted to
kiss me, but I wouldn`t let them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Talk about being in the right place at the right time. That burning boat, if you`re wondering, is a total loss. In fact, we don`t have
it anymore because it sank before the coast guard could even secure it. The problem is, whatever started the fire remains a mystery. See you right
back here tomorrow night, everyone, 6:00 Eastern. Thanks so much for watching. "FORENSIC FILES" begins right now.
END
