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Investigation Into Phillip Garrido Expanding; President Obama Remarks on H1N1 Preparations; California Wildfire Emergency
Aired September 01, 2009 - 13:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And his urges of the past overcome, his mind enlightened, expanded, empowered in fantastic ways. While Phillip Garrido sits in a California jail cell accused of holding Jaycee Dugard captive for 18 years, of fathering her two daughters, a manifesto that he gave to the FBI is only one piece of a still- unfinished puzzle. A fragment of bone is another piece, a potential connection to similar crimes that have never been solved.
CNN's Kara Finnstrom has the latest now from Antioch, California. Kara, what do we know?
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just behind me here, Kyra is the home of Garrido. It's just right across the street. And if we pan over, you can see the neighboring property. Well, what police did was, they searched this neighboring property as well, because at one point it was vacant, and Garrido was serving as caretaker. So he had complete access to this property.
And when they searched it, they found this bone fragment. Now, at this point, it's not clear whether this is animal or human bone. They are having tests run on it as we speak.
PHILLIPS: All right, now, the investigation is expanding. Is Garrido suspected in other cases of missing girls for sure? Because we know there's been a lot of speculation, and we've been talking with obviously other potential victims as well.
FINNSTROM: Right, very early on in these other investigations. But I think in part, Kyra, because there has been such criticism of the way that this case was handled, the Dugard case, that some clues were just kind of let go, and that perhaps she could have been found earlier. They are following up on every lead, and we are told that there are two missing girl cases in particular that they're taking a very close look.
Both of those girls vanished during the 1980s, both about 20 miles away from here, in Oakland. And there are some similarities with these cases that police want to look into.
They're also looking at a string of murders that took place in the 1990s. The victims in those case, many of them were prostitutes. And some of their bodies were dumped near a park, and Garrido used to work near that park. So they're looking into those as well.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kara. We'll continue to follow the investigation. Of course, the Garrido case raises all kinds of disturbing questions about sex offenders and the dangers that they may pose long after their sentences are up. Later this hour, we're going to talk with a victim's rights advocate and with a convicted offender.
And I want you to join the conversation. Tweet me now at KyraCNN with your questions.
New details today about the massacre of a Georgia family in their mobile home. Police have identified the eight people killed this weekend near the coastal city of Brunswick. They include 44-year-old Russell Toler Sr. and several members of his immediate family.
The man who reported the death in an emotional 911 call is now in police custody. Guy Heinze, Jr. had been arrested on charges of drug possession, lying to police, and tampering with evidence. But, so far, police have not named him as a suspect in the killings.
President Obama pushing forward in the fight against swine flu. We expect to hear from him just a few minutes from now. A short while ago, he met with key administration officials, and now the big question is, is the government ready as we enter what could be a very deadly flu season? The White House says it's ready, and it's teaming up with agencies at the national, state and local level to try to minimize the impact of the H1N1 virus.
More than a million Americans have already gotten swine flu. Some 500 Americans have died. Millions more are expected to come down with it this fall, and thousands more people could die.
Also meeting with his point man on swine flu, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Here's part of his attack plan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: The goal this fall will be to keep schools open and in session, even if some students come down with the flu. We've learned a lot more about the virus since it first appeared in New York City. And one of those key lessons is that we can effectively manage an outbreak while keeping schools open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And another campus hit with swine flu, Oklahoma State University. A spokesperson says at least 84 students have been treated for the H1N1 virus. Twenty of the students are still sick, the rest have recovered.
In Southern California, firefighters are nowhere near getting a major wildfire under control. And for the cash-strapped state, paying for the battle is a major concern.
We're going to go live to the fire zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: We're about a minute and a half or so away from the president of the United States. He's actually going to step up to the mikes here, and we're going to take it live.
He's been meeting with key leaders, agencies, on the national level, state level and local level, to try and minimize the impact of the H1N1 virus. You know, more than a million Americans have already gotten swine flu, 500 people have died. A lot of people wondering, how is the president going to be proactive as flu season continues to heat up?
Also following this, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. She joins us live out of New York.
Elizabeth, while we're waiting for the president to step up to the mike, I mean, we heard Mayor Bloomberg out of New York talk about what he's going to do. He's already got an action plan put forward.
Do you think we'll see other states jumping in on this as well and being proactive?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think so, Kyra. And many places have stepped forward, especially since school is about to start.
For example, what they're doing here in New York is they're going to be offering free swine flu vaccine to all elementary school students. Also, if you want to get the regular flu shot, you can get that for free. So, I think we'll be seeing more and more of that.
PHILLIPS: OK. Now, also, Bloomberg was talking about he is going to have a daily update on the schools that report five or more cases. And that's interesting. He's not closing down the schools or saying that he's going to close the schools at any point. He's just going to give these daily updates.
I guess that's -- I mean, that's risky, but at the same time, it's got kids still going to school.
COHEN: Right. You can think of it as a change of strategy. That's what I think we're going to be seeing.
In the spring, they did close schools in New York and elsewhere. People were so scared of swine flu that, in some cases, the minute one kid had it, they closed down the whole school.
And now what the CDC and others are saying is, look, you don't have to close down the school. I mean, you can if you want to, but you don't need to do that. Instead, you can take some basic precautions.
You can tell people to keep their kids home if they're sick. You can tell kids to wash hands. At some schools, they're washing hands whenever they walk into a new classroom. And so they're hoping they can contain it that way, because the bottom line with swine flu, Kyra, is that it's not, for most people, all that dangerous. So, if you have a lot of kids with swine flu, it's not necessarily a big deal. They're sick for a couple days and get over it. What they're trying to do is to make sure that swine flu doesn't reach people, whether children or adults, who have some underlying conditions or other diseases where swine flu could turn into a catastrophe.
PHILLIPS: Now, as we continue to wait for the president, you've been doing a lot of reporting on the college campuses. And students have been told to stay inside their dorms. Other students have been coming home from school, not wanting to stay there and take a risk.
What more can you tell us about what's happening on our university and college campuses?
COHEN: Well, university and college campuses, I think, are being hit pretty hard. I mean, think about this, they just started school, they're ready to rev up for the year, and then all of a sudden, they've got, in some cases, hundreds of sick kids with swine flu.
What's interesting about how they're handling it is they're actually telling these students, don't come to the student health services. You can call us, but please don't come in. Sort of wait it out in your dorm room. You know, you're going to feel awful, but just hang out there.
One school that I visited, they bring them their food so that the kids don't have to leave the room. But they're telling them, unless things are really bad, unless you've got a really high temperature, or if you're having trouble breathing, we don't want to see you in the student health services.
I think a lot of people don't expect that. They expect people -- they expect the doctor to welcome them with open arms, but that's not what's happening.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, you and I are standing by waiting for the president to come out and speak and tell us what the game plan is here. So, Elizabeth, stay with us.
We're going to move on to other news while we wait for the president to step out. And then -- oh, it looks like we are going to have a little action now.
The president is going to actually come out to the mikes with the various leaders from various agencies. You can see Arne Duncan there, the head of Education. Also Janet Napolitano, head of Homeland Security.
And now the president of the United States.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good afternoon, everybody.
Before I say a few words about the meeting we just had, I'd like to mention some good news that came out today about our economy. For the first time in 18 months, our manufacturing sector has expanded. And the statistics used to measure manufacturing output is the highest it's been in over two years.
This mean greater production of transportation equipment like cars, and electronic equipment like computers and appliances. And it means these companies are starting to invest more and produce more, and it is a sign that we are on the path to economic recovery.
There's no doubt that we have a long way to go. And I and the other members of this administration will not let up until those Americans who are looking for jobs can find them. But this is another important sign that we're heading in the right direction, and that the steps we've taken to bring our economy back from the brink are working.
Now, we just had a good meeting about our ongoing efforts to prepare this country for the H1N1 flu virus this fall. And I want to thank John Brennan, our CDC director, Tom Frieden, and Secretaries Sebelius, Napolitano, Duncan and Locke for all the good work that they've been doing to get us ready today.
As I said when we saw the first cases of this virus back in the spring, I don't want anybody to be alarmed, but I do want everybody to be prepared. We know that we usually get a second, larger wave of these flu viruses in the fall, and so response plans have been put in place across all levels of government.
Our plans and decisions are based on the best scientific information available. And as the situation changes, we will continue to update the public.
We're also making steady progress on developing a safe and effective H1N1 flu vaccine. And we expect a flu shot program will begin soon. This program will be completely voluntary, but it will be strongly recommended.
For all that we do in the federal government, however, every American has a role to play in responding to this virus. We need state and local governments on the front lines to make antiviral medications and vaccines available, and be ready to take whatever steps are necessary to support the health care system.
We need hospitals and health care providers to continue preparing for an increased patient load and to take steps to protect health care workers. We need families and businesses to ensure that they have plans in place if a family member, a child, or a co-worker contracts the flu and needs to stay home. And most importantly, we need everyone to get informed about individual risk factors, and we need everyone to take the commonsense steps that we know can make a difference.
Stay home if you're sick. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your sneezes with your sleeve, not your hands. And take all the necessary precautions to stay healthy.
I know it sounds simple, but it's important and it works.
And finally, for people who want to learn more about this virus, please go to www.flu.gov or talk to your doctor.
I want to commend every member of our team. I think we've done an extraordinary job in preparing for this flu outbreak.
We anticipate that there will be some issues coming up over the next several months. The way it's moving is still somewhat unpredictable, but what I'm absolutely confident about is that our team that's assembled here has done an extraordinary job in preparing for whatever may happen.
So we appreciate all of you for being here. And I want to publicly, again, thank you for all your extraordinary hard work.
All right.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Elizabeth Cohen, I guess we were expecting a little Q&A there to get some more details, but it's sort of general. I mean, he met with the heads of the various agencies -- Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Education -- but really, when it comes down to details about what the game plan is, it's nothing knew that we heard here.
COHEN: No, we didn't hear anything new here. I think what they're trying to do is still sort of set the stage to get people concerned enough about swine flu to get them to get the vaccine, to do things like wash hands, all of that, but they don't want people to panic. They don't want people flood emergency rooms every time they have a cough or a runny nose.
And I think they're also trying to set the stage where -- when -- you know, because this unfortunately will happen -- where there are deaths with swine flu. They don't want people to freak out, because one of the issues with swine flu is that it often attacks younger people and pregnant women.
I was at a White House briefing last month where we talked about how -- remember, the cabinet talked about how, in a way, it's inevitable. A pregnant woman is going to die, some have already. They don't want people to freak out. They want people to understand sort of the nature of this virus.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Elizabeth Cohen, appreciate it.
We're going to take a quick break. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Top stories now.
Another twist in the kidnapping and rape case against Phillip Garrido. He's the California man accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard when she was just 11 and holding her for 18 years. Now police are checking a bone fragment found near Garrido's home to determine if it's human and whether it might connect Garrido to other crimes.
In Oklahoma, convicted child rapist David Earls was back in court, where a grand jury is investigating new allegations of sex crimes against him. You may remember, Earls was convicted earlier this year of raping a 4-year-old girl. He's behind bars right now after getting a one-year sentence in a plea deal.
More revelations today in Scotland's release of the Lockerbie bomber. Letters published in England showed that British leaders advised Scotland's government that there were no legal obstacles to returning the bomber to his native Libya. Both Britain and Scotland still insist that the release did not involve any oil deals with Libya.
A frightening scene north of Los Angeles as a huge wildfire burns out of control. Whole neighborhoods have burned to the ground. And in a state that's strapped for cash, paying for the battle is one more thing to worry about.
CNN's Reynolds Wolf is in a burned-out neighborhood in Tujunga, California.
Kind of give us a feel, Reynolds, for what we can see and what's happening there where you are.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, first, but foremost, why don't we talk about where you just left off, talking about the issues with California, the Golden State, and how they're suffering economically. You know, Kyra, they're only budgeted about $180 million for the entire fire season, and already half of that budget has been going up in smoke.
And I mean, speaking of up in smoke, take a look at this house over here to my immediate left. You can see, there's not much left.
You've got the chain link fence, but off there in the distance, one of the signs that this was indeed a home, you can see the chimney. It is just a scene that we've seen played out up and down this stretch of roadway, a scary thing to see.
And watching for traffic, running over on the other side here, Kyra. Want you to see this, too.
At one point, just a few days ago, we had a wood beam that ran the course of these areas here. We have these cinderblocks. You had 21 mailboxes.
The fire came through, superheated at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The wood's gone, the mailboxes remain, and, boom, they fell to the ground.
There was a fellow that came by, a local. Wanted to check and see if he had any mail. And thankfully, no power bills. Certainly rough times. And this is, again, just a testament to the extreme heat that we've been dealing with in the area.
If you want more signs of that, you don't have to look to these houses or even these trees. You can look at these hills, where the topography is just crazy.
We often talk about the fires that we fight out in places like Oklahoma, Kansas, even parts of Texas, where things are relatively quiet. Well, that's tough enough to battle. But when you're dealing with terrain this, now, mountainous conditions in the San Gabriel Mountains, my gosh, man. I mean, how do you fight this thing?
You try to fight it on foot. There's no question you're going to do that. But you also have to fight it from the skies above.
And with that, they've had a whole fleet, a whole squadron of helicopters, Chinooks, even fixed-wing aircraft. And we're not talking about the small stuff, we're talking about the big guys.
We're talking about a specially configured DC-10. But also, a 747 that was added to the fleet just yesterday. And certainly goes up, drops that water, that fire retardant, doing what it can to knock out those flames.
They did a pretty good job in some spots here in this particular valley, in this ravine. But other places, as you can imagine, it's a total loss.
You know, if you get the sense that this is kind of like a military operation, it is, Kyra. And what they do is they use a lot of military terms. Let me show you this little rudimentary example that I'm talking about.
When you have a fire that pops out in a given area, they talk about containment. Now, what they end up doing is they end up trying to put kind of a barrier all the way around the fire itself.
What they want to do is do that, put a barrier around it. And they try to cut fire lanes. Then they attack it with, again, that fire retardant. And troops go in and they try to knock out those flames as best they can. And usually that's a pretty easy thing to do, even with the Santa Ana winds, because the Santa Ana winds, although tough, you have an idea of what direction they're going and where those flames might go.
In this particular situation, the weather really hasn't been cooperating. You've had very little wind. So, with that, it seems like it would be good. But actually, it's kind of bad, because the smoke has been hanging over the valleys, very hard in terms of visibility for the troops on the ground. When I say "troops," of course, the men and women, the firefighters, the 25,000 that are fighting, but also the aerial planes, the spotter planes. They're coming through trying to really find the hotspots where they can really nail the big flames, the big areas. It is a tough thing. And here you're seeing a lot of the aftermath. But keep in mind, aftermath, we've got a long way to go. This thing is far from being over.
Over 125,000 acres scorched, five percent contained. You do the math. We've got a lot of work to do here. And on the other side of this ravine, the other side of this hill, you've got an area that's the size of Albuquerque, New Mexico, that's still raging on fire.
It's a rough battle. They're going to be up to the task. It may take a week, possibly more, to battle this tremendous blaze.
Kyra, let's send it back to you in the NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Reynolds Wolf. Thanks so much.
It's considered a positive sign of recovering on the housing front. A new report shows pending home sales jumped more than three percent in July, marking the sixth increase in a row. That's seen as a sure sign that the housing market is turning around, rebounding faster than expected. It's a good gauge of future home sales because it measures deals that haven't closed yet.
Some good news from Ford. The automaker is posting solid gains, thanks in part to the government's Cash for Clunkers program.
Ford sales last month jumped more than 17 percent. Hefty rebates helped Ford sell nearly 67,000 more vehicles. The top sellers? The Ford Focus and Escape.
But industry experts warn of a slowdown. They say that auto sales are likely to run out of gas now that Cash for Clunkers is out of cash.
Grim economic news for thousands of educators. Teachers across Georgia are facing furloughs, forced to stay home without pay. For some, that could mean 1,000 bucks or more in lost wages.
Georgia is the only state so far to impose the unpaid days statewide, but others are considering it. And some districts in New Mexico, Florida and California are forcing furloughs as well. Many school districts facing too much red ink say it actually help them avoid layoffs.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Residents of New Orleans' Ninth Ward, they know first hand the fear that is gripping the Baja peninsula. Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina drowned that poor neighborhood. And while many people there are still looking for a lifeline, some have found theirs, and they're hanging on.
Here's Sean Callebs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's been four years since Robert Green and his mother were stranded on their roof here in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. This is the Lower Ninth in the aftermath.
Green's mother was swept off the roof by the floodwaters. He managed to survive and return.
I first spoke with Green a few months after the storm, after he found his mother's body, after he came to grips with the fact Katrina took his granddaughter as well.
ROBERT GREEN, KATRINA VICTIM: I don't see my baby no more. I don't see my mother no more. I don't see my neighbors no more. All I can do is just be happy that she's going to be buried.
CALLEBS: Green spent most of the last four years living in this small FEMA trailer, sharing his story with anyone who came through the Lower Ninth. His story has finally taken a positive turn. Green recently abandoned the trailer for a new home built by Brad Pitt's charitable organization Make it Right.
GREEN: We have 14 families and we feel crowded, but we had 3,000 houses that are gone, and we would love to see them come back.
CALLEBS: Pitt's group has built 15 homes so far and sells them for only about $75,000 to residents in the Lower Ninth. Volunteer work makes that deal possible. They're very green -- energy efficient, recycled materials, but above all...
TOM DARDEN, EXEC. DIRECTOR, MAKE IT RIGHT: The safety is a primary concern for us. So we want to make sure if there is another flood, the houses that we're building are going to be safe from that flood. So they're all elevated, at least above Katrina level flooding.
CALLEBS: Volunteers here are leading the way, like Matt Peterson's group Global Green.
MATT PETERSEN, PRESIDENT, GLOBAL GREEN: There's still so much work to be done. We can't wait, and we can't rely on the federal government. This is I think an era where we realize that we, as citizens of this great country, need to take responsibility for our nation, and starting right here.
CALLEBS: HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan knows mistakes were made in the efforts to get people back into their homes. Be it another hurricane, a flood, fire, or earthquake, people will need help rebuilding again.
SHAUN DONOVAN, HUD SECRETARY: We have to be more flexible. We have to be more responsive and make sure that the programs don't just work in theory, but they work in reality for families.
CALLEBS: Making it easier for those who lost so much to start over.
Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: So, straight ahead, what would you ask a sex offender? We want to know. We've been getting your tweets and e-mails, and we're going to read them.
Plus, we're going to go right to the source. A convicted sex offender joins us live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Can the man who allegedly kidnapped Jaycee Dugard and held her for 18 years be connected to any unsolved cases? Police can't rule it out, not until they chase every loose end and every hard lead, including a bone fragment found next door on property next to Philip Garrido's in Antioch, California.
Now, of particular interest are two kidnappings similar to Jaycee's that happened at the same time in the same general part of California. We're staying on top of those investigations.
Here's the thing, even if the Dugard case is isolated, child abduction can and does happen everywhere, all across the U.S. Sexual predators can and do live everywhere.
Joining me to push the discussion forward is Andy Kahan, a victim's advocates rights from Houston. He was also a parole officer. And a man you may be shocked to see live on CNN. He's Jake Goldenflame, and 25 years ago, he served five years in prison for molesting a very young child. He now runs prison outreach programs for sex offenders. He joins me live from San Francisco.
Guys, let's start with the issue of this parole officer. And I want you both to jump in on this. Andy, you were a parole. For 18 years, where the hell was this parole officer, and what he was or she doing?
ANDY KAHAN, VICTIM'S ADVOCATE, HOUSTON, TX.: Let's start at the beginning, Kyra. First of all, this guy gets a 50-year sentence for aggravated rape and kidnapping. He also had a prior conviction before this for which no one wants to reveal what it was for. And he also gets a life sentence in Nevada. He serves only 11 years.
PHILLIPS: And by the way, he admits he has sexual fantasies, sexual addictions. In 1977, he said all of that in court for that rape. Go ahead, Andy.
KAHAN: Absolutely. So, then he goes to Nevada, and then he's eligible for parole immediately. The keyword is eligible. They don't have to release him. So here's a guy with 50 and life, serves 11, gets out on parole.
Here's the real kicker, questions that beg to be answered. In 1993, federal officials revoked his parole. He's locked up behind bars for four months, which is two years after Jaycee was kidnapped. Yet, Nevada officials, who at that time could have revoked him for a life sentence, remain unknown that he was back in prison. They were clueless until the media asked him, well, what happened in 1993 when he was in prison. Where were they?
PHILLIPS: Jake, you've got a parole officer. You know what it's like to be on parole. How do you react to this?
JAKE GOLDENFLAME, CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER: Well, of course, I was on parole a number of years ago. But I must tell you, I assumed as a matter of simple course that my parole agent could walk in at anytime whatsoever, and as a result, I lived in a way so that I had nothing to worry about if that happened. I just accepted it.
But he can show up at anytime, without warning, and enter my premises and he can question me as to what's going on in my life. So, you live to that standard. Apparently, this guy was given a much more lenient situation than is normally the case.
PHILLIPS: All right...
KAHAN: Jake, Jake, let me ask you this. Were you ever subjected to any polygraphs while you were on parole? Because that's another issue that's kind of been burning me, is why wasn't Garrido given polygraphs which perhaps would have lead to deception about kids living with him?
GOLDENFLAME: No, we weren't using polygraph to that extent at that particular time.
KAHAN: But here's a guy on parole for life. They could have used a polygraph two years ago, five years ago or whatever. That wasn't used. The parole officer could have checked the appraisal district and recognized that Garrido was living in a home that had over 20,000 square foot. That might raise some big eyebrows.
GOLDENFLAME: I'm surprised they had just didn't maintain good contact with the neighbors in the community so they knew that this guy was living with children. That by itself should have been sufficient to revoke his parole.
PHILLIPS: So, then Jake, let me ask you a question here. Let's fast forward. Now, we're seeing this lack of oversight and monitoring that is just horrific. Now, you fast forward. It's been 32 years. This guy has probably been involved in every disgusting crime that you can possibly think of. There's all kind of allegations that are out there now. We've already seen what's happened with Jaycee.
And now, he's turned in these documents, this manifesto, where he wrote all, you know, all these confessions. I know, Andy's rolling his eyes. And he's saying, it's so hard to control himself. He's a new man. He can change. Let me ask you, Jake, you can relate to that? Tell me about this urge that Garrido talks about.
GOLDENFLAME: Well, you know, I can't speak for Garrido. I never met the man. All I can say, yes, a person can change, but in order to do so, you have go through counseling. You have to go through treatment. You have to work with your treatment providers. You have to work with your counselors.
It's something that can be done. But you can't begin doing it if you're still in the midst of committing a crime that you're holding a person abducted...
PHILLIPS: But tell me what you do. Tell me what you do. I know you still have those urges, you've told me that...
GOLDENFLAME: Everybody does. Once...
PHILLIPS: Tell me what you do.
GOLDENFLAME: Okay. Give you a perfect example. One of the things I like to do in my life is go up the street to a restaurant on the corner where they serve coffee outside at tables. I like to sit outside and have my coffee. So, I'm sitting there having my coffee, and I will see a young teenage boys -- those are the kinds of people who sexually arouse me. I'll see a good looking, young teenage boy come by. He may sit down at a nearby table or stand off there in the distance.
There will be a trigger that goes off in me right away that says, that's somebody I could be interested in. Now, at that point, what I know is, that's my danger signal. I don't let it go any further than that. When you're an active offender, you do, and you dwell on it, you make it into a plan. And the next thing you know, you go to carry out the plan and the next thing you know, you're harming someone's life.
What I do now is the moment that comes up, I'm aware of it. I immediately shift my attention. I put it on someplace else. I turn my head, whatever it is. I go in the other direction. It's called relapse prevention, and that's how it's done. It passes just like that. And it's no longer a problem for me.
PHILLIPS: Now, Andy, I want to get you to react. You just heard what Jake says that he does, OK? Now, Garrido wrote in this documentation that he's had a spiritual awakening. He's now saved. He feels remorse for what he's done. He writes, "I realize I never needed to act or do the things I used to feel was so great and stimulating." He says it's the most powerful freedoms imaginable, that I can admit I've done something wrong and I can actually go forward and help other people.
GOLDENFLAME: Could I just interrupt for a moment because you said that spiritual awakening of his?
PHILLIPS: Correct.
GOLDENFLAME: I -- forgive me, Andy. Let me just comment on that a second.
KAHAN: Go ahead. GOLDENFLAME: I had a spiritual awakening, okay? I think spiritual awakenings are very important. They empower you to want to stay in a behaved, responsible life. They give you another reason why you want to practice your relapse prevention.
But by themselves, the fact that you found God or Jesus or whatever, that by itself is not enough. You got to make the changes to live that way. And if you have something that still needs to be addressed, like you've got the kind of background that this guy has where he's got someone whose still a captive, you're not going anyplace until you deal with that person and take your medicine for it.
PHILLIPS: Andy, weigh in.
KAHAN: Let me tell you, when I was a parole officer many moons ago, we used to call sex offenders, particularly those who preyed upon children the Eddie Haskells of parole. They're secretive, they are cunning, they are devious, they are diabolical. You need to keep an eye on them because they know how to play the game.
And it's obvious in this case, Garrido played the system like a fiddle. But our criminal justice system allowed him to play them like a fiddle, so they bear the brunt of the responsibility themselves. The real question that we have right now, that Americans should be asking ourselves: how many other Garridos do we have currently living amongst us who are basically preying on our children as well? Where there is one, there are others.
PHILLIPS: And Andy, you spend every day of your life, I know, being an advocate. And you make such a great point that parole officers, in addition to everything else that needs to take place -- laws, legislation, everything else, parole officers have to take their jobs so seriously and they have to monitor these men and women.
Jake, stay with me because as you can imagine, we've been asking our viewers for questions.
GOLDENFLAME: I want to second one thing that Andy said, I think it's so important, and I said it a number of times myself. For a sex offender, especially a child molester, deceit is our first weapon all time.
KAHAN: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Stay with me to take questions. Andy, always great to see you. Thank you so much.
KAHAN: You bet.
PHILLIPS: So, like I just said, Jake is going to stick around. He's going to answer some of your questions that you have wanted to address with him. Also, if you want to know what you can do -- would you ever want to be alerted if a sex offender moved into your neighborhood? Josh Levs has been working all morning for us, putting together various Web sites that you say can pay for and get alerted for on a regular basis if a convicted sex offender moves into your neighborhood. Also, Web sites that are free where you can look at mug shots and find out a background on certain people you might be concerned about. Great information, especially for parents with young kids.
Stay with us. Quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Pushing forward on our coverage of sexual predators and how to keep your family safe, Josh Levs has found a number of resources that you may want to bookmark. Josh, let's get right to it.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to get right to it on the screen behind me. I'll show them to you, and in fact, you don't need to write this down because at the end of it, I'm going to show you one place that has the link to everything that's here.
Let's zoom right in. One of the places we're hearing a lot about, familysafetyreport.com. You sign up there and they will send you an alert. Something that looks like this, if they have information about registered sex offenders in your area. It begins with a free trial, then it's about $30 a month after that.
There's also another one here that's called Family Watchdog. It does a number of things. One of the things they do that's similar, they offer a map. For example, Kyra, I typed in CNN's address. Everywhere you see a red square is a registered sex offender. You click on one of those, it gives you the photo of the person if it's available and also the address where they live.
Quickly, I want to show you, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI, links you to single state in the country with the official registration. And you can use any one of those. For example, I clicked on Connecticut. You click on any one city there. I clicked on Marlboro, boom. It brings you to that list. You have all these different states, Kyra. And each of them has one like that. So, hopefully, one of these will work for everyone.
PHILLIPS: And the federal law requires states to post info to the Web, right?
LEVS: It does. This is actually interesting. A lot of people don't realize this is happening. Quickly, let's go to the graphic, because I want people to see. We found a great article today. You can see it there from "(INAUDIBLE) Journal-Bulletin." Here is a 2006 law that says you have to post info to the web.
But, there's an argument going on right now, and the next thing you'll see, because a lot of states will register on the Web, the people who are registered sex offenders, but they say they can't necessarily afford to do it the same way that the law is demanding. That's something we're seeing play out in Washington, Kyra. Something for all of us to keep the eye out for. Right now, CNN.com/kyra or CNN.com/josh. You can see everything that's here. You can weigh in. We'd love to hear from you. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Great stuff. Thanks so much, Josh.
While we were online, I was asking for your tweets directed at former sexual predator Jake Goldenflame. And you haven't held back. Jake, we'll get right to it, if you don't mind.
This first question, coming from Hokkeymom: "Why should anyone believe that you are reformed? Do you actually think you should be trusted now?"
GOLDENFLAME: Well, I think the answer to that is, very simply, if you check with law enforcement in my city, they would tell you that they've had no arrests on me, and they've had no accusations on me. And I've been out 18 years. That should tell you right there that I've been doing something right.
PHILLIPS: Excellent. Candy wants to know: "Jake, what are some ways that sex offenders skirt the law? What did you do personally? What are the red flags that parents need to watch for when they see their children interact with adults?
GOLDENFLAME: It's very simple. If you have somebody in your neighborhood, an adult male, for example, and he's so friendly and so welcoming to kids all the time, and he always has them around him and has them coming to his residence all the time, that should be a red flag right there. You want to see if this guy's on the up and up, or whether he's bringing them over for illicit purposes.
PHILLIPS: This one coming from JournalProject: "Are some people more vulnerable, Jake, to be preyed upon than others? If yes, why?"
GOLDENFLAME: People who don't have as much -- young people, especially, who don't have the most self-confidence as others in their generation will be the ones who are preyed upon. You're not going to see kids with a lot of -- what you call the alpha male, a lot of self- confidence. They're not the ones who get hit on. It's the ones who have problems with self-esteem, who have questions about their identity and so forth. They're the ones who are further back in the pack, you might say, those are the ones who unfortunately draw the predator.
PHILLIPS: Final question. Bobbygirl11972 says, or wants to know, "What makes you feel that you are rehabilitated?"
GOLDENFLAME: The fact that my attention now is spent, instead of going after people to prey upon, it's after people that I can help keep from preying upon others or help those who have been preyed upon recover. That's where my energy goes to now; that's what my devote myself to. Helping other people, either recover from being offenders or recover from being victims.
PHILLIPS: Jake Goldenflame. Appreciate your time today.
GOLDENFLAME: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, I said you didn't hold back. Before we turn things over to Rick Sanchez at the top of the hour, but I'm going to read more of your tweets.
He offers no apology, only a prayer for a man he says he hates. A pastor's prayer of death for the president of the United States.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Your first reaction might be, is this a bad joke? But it isn't. A Baptist pastor in Arizona is praying for President Obama to die. Outrageous or sad? Some of the faithful agree with him. Tim Bechner (ph) of our affiliate KNXV reports, some are downright offended.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(GROUP SINGING)
TIM BECHNER (ph), KNXV-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Sunday night services...
(GROUP SINGING)
BECHNER: Inside the Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, sat a man in the third row you may recognize, Christopher Broughton.
CHRIS BROUGHTON, PARISHIONER: I actually moved to the area because this church was preaching the message that I believe in.
BECHNER: The last time we saw Chris, he had an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle outside President Obama's speech to the VFW at the Phoenix Convention Center.
BROUGHTON: I actually think it's kind of sad that a perfectly legal activity could draw so much attention.
STEVEN ANDERSON, BAPTIST PASTOR, PREACHED HIS HATRED FOR PRESIDENT: I hate Barack Obama. You say, well, you just don't like what he stands for? No, I hate the person.
BECHNER: We now know that the night before Chris listened to a speech by pastor Steven Anderson titled "Why I hate Barack Obama."
BROUGHTON: That had no influence whatsoever.
BECHNER: In the sermon, Anderson admitted he prays for the president's death, a position he reiterated Sunday afternoon.
ANDERSON: I don't want him to be a martyr. We don't need another holiday. I'd like to see him die like Ted Kennedy of brain cancer.
BECHNER: A sentiment not everyone agrees with and some on Sunday chose to speak out against. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A man of the cloth wants to kill our president. How sick you can get?
BECHNER: But several Faithful Word parishioners defended their pastor's opinion of the president, including Chris.
BROUGHTON: I concur. I think our country would be a lot better off if God were to send this man where he's going now instead of later.
BECHNER (off camera): You're not advocating violence against the president?
BROUGHTON: I'm not going to answer that question directly. I don't care how God does it, I just pray that he does. I'm not really going to go any further into it than that. It will be better now than later.
ANDERSON: I hate him!
BECHNER: A position he apparently shares with his pastor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Man, Team Sanchez has been all over the story and reached out to the Secret Service. Rick, it's still really uncomfortable to listen to that. It's quite bizarre, actually. What's the Secret Service saying?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's as chilling as the interview you were doing with Jake moments ago. It's one of those interviews when you watch it -- you know, I was watching the interview you were doing with Jake, and look, I'll be perfectly honest with you. As a dad, you know, you met my kids. I've got three boys. I hate that man. I hate everybody like him. And I hate everything that they stand for.
People who molest children -- it's very difficult. And yet, as I was listening to the conversation, by the way -- I know I'm going off on you here, but I was just so struck by that. As I was listening to the conversation, I was also appreciative of the information that he was the beginning me as a parent that I might be able to use to protect my kids. Kudos to you, Kyra. That was fascinating stuff.
PHILLIPS: Well, he's been an interesting person to follow. I've been interviewing him for eight years and keeping track of him, as well. You know, I know it's hard to watch. It's hard to stomach and knowing what he did to children. But at the same time, boy, does he have a message to give, and as a parent...
SANCHEZ: Oh, no, look, I get it. I admit, I'm being hasty and I'm being judgmental. And I ask people to forgive me for saying what I just said, but...
PHILLIPS: Where else can you get into the mind of a sex offender than from a sex offender himself?
SANCHEZ: I'm a dad.
PHILLIPS: I know.
SANCHEZ: I've got to watch out for my kids. Look, this thing going on...
PHILLIPS: Tell me about your story.
SANCHEZ: ... this thing going on in Arizona is really crazy. We've got an enormous amount of response from people on this, e-mail, from Twitter. We've seen a lot of blogs posted. We're really tussling with it ourselves. There's a lot of issues here.
First of all, for a pastor to say something like that -- I mean, he's suggesting flat-out that he'd like to see the president of the United States dead, that he wants to see Sasha and Malia fatherless, that he wants to see Michelle as a widow. Now's he's going on to saying what what you showed a few minutes ago, Ted Kennedy with brain cancer. I mean, is this over the pail? How many other people are like that?
When we're talking to the Secret Service, what we want to know, you're going to see some of the answers during the show, have they contacted him, have they paid him a visit? How much of a threat do they consider him? And what else is he saying now? We're all over that part of the story, Kyra. Again, we're going to bring it to you.
PHILLIPS: You're watching me, I'm watching you. I'm very interested. We're going to read a lot more of your e-mails, too, about what you sent in what about you think about that convicted sex offender. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Earlier, I put your questions about sexual predators and how to protect your society to convicted child molester Jake Goldenflame. But we also got plenty of comments. Here's some of them.
One viewer tweets, and I quote: "There's no such thing as a reformed sex offender. Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic. Last place I'd want to learn from."
We also heard this: "I tell my kids not all monsters glow in the dark. I wish his type did."
And finally: "Parolees are serving their sentence in the community. In prison, their cell is searched top to bottom. Same should happen at their homes.
Thanks so much for responding. Sure appreciate it. We'll be back here tomorrow. Rick Sanchez picks it up from here.
