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New Day

Helping Veterans; Dad of Boy Found in Basement Speaks Out; Interview with J.K. Simmons. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 03, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:32:08] MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, here we go with the five things you need to know for your new day on a Friday.

At number one, security has been boosted across the country amid ISIS inspired threats ahead of the holiday weekend. U.S. officials making it clear they are not aware of any specific targets.

A "Buffalo News" report says Richard Matt sent a letter to his daughter before breaking out of prison, telling her that he'd see her, quote, "on the outside." There's no indication she had any knowledge of the escape plot in advance.

Donald Trump's Miss USA Pageant has found a new home after NBC and Univision dropped out. Cable channel Reelz will pick up the July 12th broadcast despite those remarks from Trump about Mexican immigrants.

Large protesting in Greece ahead of a crucial vote Sunday on a referendum on terms of a bailout deal from European creditors. The outcome could determine Greece's future in the Eurozone.

Team USA getting in a final practice today ahead of the World Cup women's final. They face Japan Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vice President Joe Biden now joining the delegation to Canada to cheer them on.

And if you would like more on the five things to know, be sure to visit newdaycnn.com for the latest.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Michaela.

So returning to civilian life, it can be a struggle for the 2.6 million service men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. This morning we want to introduce you to a CNN hero who served three tours and now helps heal the invisible wounds of combat one step at a time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN GOBIN: All three of my combat deployments were really intense. There was no time to cope.

I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail because it had been a dream of mine growing up. I saw it as a personal challenge. But about two- thirds of the way I realized I was processing all of these experiences that I had put away and I knew that there were other combat veterans that needed to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, we'll see you al in about six months.

GOBIN: The Warrior Hike provides veterans with all the equipment and supplies they need to complete a long distance hike. Your mission is to be a civilian again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's an internal quiet and some of the problems that you're dealing with get hammered away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just being around other military, it is worth more than words can say.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many years you got in now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fifteen years.

GOBIN: Our veterans also receive trail town support along the way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, how are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. How are you?

You can see how much they care. It helps.

GOBIN: We help veterans prepare for the next chapter of their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are planning to take it as it comes and move on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking for that sense of calm. And every step I take, I think I'm going in that direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Just wonderful. So if you know someone who deserved to be recognizes, go to cnnheros.com and tell us all about it.

[08:35:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, meanwhile, this was a shocking TV moment. A father finds out live on television that his missing son had been found in the family's basement. That father joins us next to explain what happened.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HLN ANCHOR: Your son has been found in your basement. Sir? Mr. Bothuell, are you -- are you --

CHARLIE BOTHUELL: What? GRACE: Yes. We are getting reports that your son has been found alive

in your basement.

BOTHUELL: What?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: That was the bizarre moment Charlie Bothuell IV found out that his missing son, Charlie, was found alive in his own basement live on air. Mr. Bothuell was later charged with torture and child abuse. A judge has dropped the torture charge, but Mr. Bothuell and his wife Monique still face second degree child abuse charges. Charlie Bothuell IV joins us now, along with his attorney, Shawn Smith and Denise Alter (ph).

Thank you all for joining us.

CHARLES BOTHUELL IV, FATHER OF MISSING BOY FOUND ALIVE IN BASEMENT: Good morning.

SHAWN SMITH, ATTORNEY FOR CHARLIE BOTHUELL: Good morning.

PEREIRA: Charlie, obviously there has been something happening in your life that all of the world has been watching, or at least all of America has been watching. I want to play the sound from the judge. This is what she said during the hearing about your son.

[08:40:13] BOTHUELL: Yes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE SHANNON HOLMES, PRESIDED OVER BOTHUELL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION: He totally did not tell the truth. It's more than just a child being confused and being afraid. They are totally inconsistent stories.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: So she dropped the torture charge against you and your wife. What did you feel when you heard that?

BOTHUELL: Overjoyed. I was just glad that the judge saw and stated that the things that my son was saying weren't the truth. And I'm thankful that something that looks like justice is finally starting to be done.

PEREIRA: But you're not out of the woods.

BOTHUELL: No.

PEREIRA: I mean you still face very serious child abuse charges.

BOTHUELL: And I'm looking forward to being fully exonerated.

PEREIRA: OK. So help us understand here what went on. Why was your son reported missing for 11 days? Where was he?

BOTHUELL: I wish I knew. I need to be --

PEREIRA: You don't know? As a father, you just don't even have a gut feeling of where -- what happened?

BOTHUELL: I have a gut feeling, but so many aspersions have been cast upon me, I wouldn't want to do that to anyone else. I can tell you that --

PEREIRA: But do you feel it involved him? Do you feel it was him? Because you say you're concerned about your son. You have concerns about your son, obviously.

BOTHUELL: Absolutely. I love my son with all of my heart. And, you know, I'm concerned that this situation is -- it's hurt him. It's left him a broken boy. And right now with what's happened with the court, I'm not allowed to reach out to him. But if he decides to reach out to me, I'll be there for him.

PEREIRA: Yes, that's part of the terms of the case, you can't have contact with him.

So let's roll things back a little bit.

BOTHUELL: OK.

PEREIRA: Their -- Charlie made allegations of being hit, being struck with a PVC pipe. He made allegations of being forced into a rigorous workout routine that would often last like two hours and all sorts of repetitions on an elliptical and weight lifting and hundreds of pushups and jumping jacks. Did that go on?

BOTHUELL: Unfortunately, my son also made allegations of being held before. This is the same story that he told police two years previously.

PEREIRA: But the rigorous workout routine?

BOTHUELL: My son was in the 98 percentile for obesity and his doctor prescribed a workout plan for him.

PEREIRA: So you're concerned about his health?

BOTHUELL: Absolutely. I'm a registered nurse, I mean, as well.

PEREIRA: But did it go to the rigorous point?

BOTHUELL: Rigorous workouts is what is prescribed. There wasn't any abuse. He loved it. He even said on the stand too he felt great how he looked and how he changed.

PEREIRA: Tell me more about little Charlie. Is this a child -- what kind of kid was he? A little guy. I mean he's got a real nice face, big smile, open eyes. What kind of kido is he? What kind of kido was he before all of this?

BOTHUELL: He has a great sense of humor. A loving kid with some challenges though.

PEREIRA: Like what.

BOTHUELL: Which is how he ended up living with me. Grades, which is how he ended up -- grades, behavior --

PEREIRA: Most kids have those, right?

BOTHUELL: Well, most kids don't have problems that are of this concern.

SMITH: This was a -- this was extreme behavior.

PEREIRA: Like what? Like what kind of extreme behavior are we talking about?

SMITH: Two years ago he ran -- two years ago he ran away. The police caught him.

PEREIRA: Psychological issues?

SMITH: Psychological issues. But, you know, listen we don't want to beat him up.

PEREIRA: Of course not.

SMITH: But the bottom line is, two years ago he ran away. The police found him. He looked them in the eye. He said, you know what, I was kidnapped by a guy with gray hair and held in a tunnel. He's --

PEREIRA: But let me ask something real here --

SMITH: Yes.

BOTHUELL: Yes.

PEREIRA: Because the fact is, you're not married to his mom.

BOTHUELL: That's correct.

PEREIRA: Sometimes kids that are in split homes --

SMITH: Sure.

PEREIRA: Find themselves struggle with feelings of, where do I belong? Who am I -- whose family am I a part of? Am i oved? Was there any issue with your son in terms of the divorce or the separation from his mom?

BOTHUELL: Absolutely. He wanted to go back to live with his mother. That -- this was the second time that his mother had sent him to live with me. The first time he was having trouble, he was sent to live with me. We got him back on track. All of the pictures that you see with him smiling on the honor roll and everything, that was after he almost fell to third grade. His mother sent him to live with me. After he got straight F's, put out of school and failed the fifth grade, he was sent back to live with me again and I got him back on track.

PEREIRA: Did you have a good relationship?

BOTHUELL: With his mother?

PEREIRA: With your son.

BOTHUELL: With my son? Absolutely I did.

PEREIRA: Well, can I show you a text message that is causing --

BOTHUELL: Absolutely.

PEREIRA: And I'm not -- this isn't a surprise. You saw it in court.

BOTHUELL: Please do.

PEREIRA: Let me pull up this text message that your sent -- your wife actually sent about your son when he was missing that wrote this text because you both believed that your -- he was trying to avoid these workouts that you had talked about.

BOTHUELL: He was.

PEREIRA: It said, "we need to get this money and ship his (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I am going to gear him towards completing one of these (EXPLETIVE DELETED) law schools that I am about to attend. He lacks the discipline and core character and drive to be a doctor, nurse, scientist period. Maybe time and continued effort may help, but I have no reason to be hopeful at this point. Let's get this money and get him gone."

[08:45:00] You know I'm an -- I'm an auntie of a lot of children and I help at risk youth.

BOTHUELL: OK.

PEREIRA: So I'm going to take issue with "get him gone." And I know that's editorializing but that -- as a human, when you hear the words "get him gone," that's going to set people off.

BOTHUELL: You know, but if you look at the context, well, let me --

PEREIRA: OK, contextualize.

BOTHUELL: -- it was getting him gone to military school or boarding school. My son needed more help than I could give him at home.

PEIEIRA: Fair enough. Fair enough.

BOTHUELL: I'm a registered nurse and with a mental health care background. My son needed additional help. He researched military schools -

PEREIRA: Did you reach out for help? BOTHUELL: -- and absolutely and he was getting ready to be sent. This was my plan. And the day or a couple of hours after I made this very clear to him, then he ran away again. So, he need the help. You as someone who helps at-risk youth, if you see a child that you've been working with for years and that you know and the things that you are doing at home for him are insufficient, well then you need to reach out for help.

PEREIRA: Yes, you do need to reach out for help.

BOTHUELL: Absolutely. The military schools that I looked at, the boarding schools, they have full-time programs that are geared toward helping children like my son and that's specifically what I was talking about.

PEREIRA: (INAUDIBLE) Thank for taking this type of questions because this is a situation that I think concerned a lot of people when you see a young man like that making these kind of allegations and we know there's serious charges against you. You'll have your day in court. Thank you for being here. I know this is not an easy thing to do. We appreciate you attorneys also being here. We should let you know, we reached out to Charlie's mom, Africa Shippings. She has not responded to our request for an interview yet.

BOTHUELL: Thank you.

PERIERA: Alysin?

[08:46:30] CAMEROTA,: Okay, Michaela. One of Hollywood's best character actors, J.K. Simmons, suiting up for an exciting new role. He's teaming up with Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator Genisys". The Oscar winner joins us next to talk about that intense experience.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:50:26] (BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Agents, listen to me. My name is O'Brian. I've been working this case for 33 years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey! hey!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's looking right at you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's possible he can't see you.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: I'm on the edge of my seat already.

PEREIRA: That was a sneak peek at "Terminator Genisys", the latest installment of one of the most iconic and successful franchises in fill history. One of the stars only Oscar winner, J.K. Simmons is here with us this morning and I am - CAMEROTA: Welcome.

J.K. SIMMONS, ACTOR: Thank you.

PEREIRA: There's so many things I have to talk to you about because I'm obsessed with your film "Whiplash". Congratulations by the way.

SIMMONS: Thank you.

PEREIRA: Terrific film, terrific role, but we got to talk about the Terminator. He's back.

SIMMONS: Right?

PERIERA: He's back in a big way.

SIMMONS: Very big way and I noticed they deleted my expletive in that scene.

PERIERA: Well, I don't know why they would have done that.

SIMMONS: Because when I first seen the Terminator, I - I'm a little scared.

PERIERA: Expletives come out of your mouth.

CAMEORTA: You delivered it beautifully. But you do talk in real life about when you first saw Arnold Schwarzenegger walk in the room. What was that moment like?

SIMMONS: Well, it was very much - it was very easy to play because my character's, you know, a guy who's, you know, kind of intimidated by Arnold's character. So, there was no acting required. You know, I mean, he walks into a room and -

PERIERA: He gets your attention.

SIMMONS: Yes.

PERIERA: But here's the conflict for a guy that lives in Los Angeles. He's your governor. He's an actor. What comes first for you? Gov or Terminator?

SIMMONS: Well, what comes first for me because I'm, you know, Arnold's generation is Mr. Universe, you know? This guy has had success in a variety of arenas.

CAMEROTA: So, tell us about the movie. Why did you want to do it?

SIMMONS: Well, the script is what it always comes down to. You know, when I first heard that they wanted me to play this little part in, you know, a reset of the "Terminator" franchise, I always am a little skeptical about, you know, is there really a story worth telling? But, I read the story and it's great. The way they evolved Arnold's character and then the new actors who were playing the characters that we've come to know and love. But it also is one of those that stand on its own. You don't have to be a fan of the franchise to sort of get what's going on.

PERIERA: Because there be some kids that haven't seen the first ones, although I'm sure they'll be taking a visit to the ole' Netflix to recap. It's interesting though, we talk about range when you talk about an actor and you have terrific range. I mean, I kind of fell in love with your bad boy guy from "Oz". We saw "Law & Order" , we looked at all the awards that you dominated with "Whiplash". Story and character always matter to you.

SIMMONS: Yes, absolutely and that goes back to, you know, the days when I was doing theater and barely paying my rent on my crappy sublet in Hell's Kitchen and my agents would get frustrated because I'd turn down a job and I was -- you know, I rather wait tables than do something that I don't find interesting. So, I can't say every choice I've ever made has been perfect and wonderful, but I ---

PERIERA: But did you doubt along the way because, you know, there's people watching that are in that place in the crappy sublet in Hell's Kitchen saying no to roles that their agent would otherwise want them to take. Did you have those doubts, those moments, where you're like what am I doing?

SIMMONS: Oh, yes. I still have those moments.

PEREIRA: No.

SIMMONS: What am I doing? It's ridiculous.

PERIERA: Just owning it.

CAMEROTA: Yes, Just winning Oscars. Let's talk think about. You say that your Oscar - didn't your Oscar win change your life?

SIMMONS: Well, it brings more opportunity, you know and more recognizability. Is that an actual word?

CAMEROTA: It is now.

PERIERA: It is now.

SIMMONS: I mean, you know, we just came back from bopping around Europe following my son's orchestra.

PERIERA: You English is not so good right now?

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: Yes, and were there crowds surrounding you who knew you?

SIMMON: Well, you know, it's not like I get mobbed. It's not like I'm Brad Pitt walking through Prague, but I definitely, you know, this mug definitely is recognizable now, yes.

PERIERA: I want you to tell us a little bit about a project that is very close to your heart. It's a book. It's called "A Short Walk Home", I believe. " A Short Walk Home" is written by a dear friend of yours. Tell us about this and why it's so important to you.

SIMMONS: Yes, David Cry is the author and he runs the ALD foundation. ALD is Adrenoleukodystrophy. And David's afflicted by it and it's a disease that has robbed many families of their young boys. And he tells the story about he and his wife Jamie going through the loss of his stepson Logan and ultimately, it's an uplifting story about the power of love, really.

PERIERA: We need a lot more of that in the world, don't we.

CAMEROTA: And you wrote the forward for it. But, we should also just say that your message at the Oscars, you told everybody to call home, call their mom, call their dad. Why is that important?

[08:55:01] SIMMONS: Well, I -- as I went through the sort of awards season, I, you know, I kept coming back to what's most important to me, which is family, so I want to talk about my wife and my kids and then my parents too, who the last two and a half year, my brother and sister and I lost our dad and then our mom. And that connection doesn't go away, you know, because they pass on. And I want to make sure that people who do have a parent alive here, you know, take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy while it's here. Really, you know, it's similar to the message in David's book that I did the forward for, you know? I mean, be here now and appreciate what you have and just love on people.

PEREIRA: I'm going to say amen to that. Preach it brother J.K. It's really good to have you here. Congratulations on all your success. Keep on doing it. Take care of that wonderful family of yours.

SIMMONS: Thank you.

PERIERA: Be a proud papa of your musical son. I love that and don't forget to check out "Terminator Genisys". It's playing now in theaters and IMAX 3D. I'm buying the popcorn for this one.

CAMEROTA: Let's do it.

[08:56:08] PERIERA: It's on me. (INAUDIBLE) up ahead. Stay with us.

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