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CNN Live Saturday

Missing Bride Found; John Rocker's Makes Minor League Comback

Aired April 30, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening now in the news.
Four U.S. soldiers have been killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq. The attack happened near Tal Afar near the northern city of Mosul. A fifth soldier was killed today in a separate attack.

Two attacks in Cairo today. A bombing near a museum in the central city wounded seven people. Separately, two veiled women opened fire on police. The near-simultaneous attacks left all three assailants dead.

And family members are headed to New Mexico today to be with Georgia bride-to-be, Jennifer Wilbanks. Wilbanks turned up in Albuquerque, New Mexico today, three days after she disappeared from Georgia. She initially told police she was kidnapped. But now admits it was a case of cold feet. Her wedding was schedule for tonight in Duluth, Georgia.

And more now on that wedding that was to be tonight. Why didn't anyone suspect that Jennifer Wilbanks had a change of heart? Let's check in with our Denise Belgrave with some of the reaction out of Duluth, Georgia -- Denise.

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it's been a real roller-coaster ride for this small community just outside of Atlanta. Of course, there was a lot of joy last night when the news came out that Jennifer had been found in New Mexico and that she was alive. In fact, her fiance came out and told reporters that he had spoken with her and that he was overjoyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MASON, JENNIFER'S FIANCE: I was crying. I was laughing. I was trying to stay calm to talk to her to keep her calm. and it's just so much. And you kind have to keep yourself composed because she didn't know where she was. She was scared to death. And I had to try to keep her on the phone until we got somebody to her. And when I finally put the phone down, I was just -- I don't know it was like the burden of the world off my shoulders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: Well that joy was very short-lived because just a few hours later, the family then found out that there was yet another story. And in fact, Jennifer's original story being kidnapped was a hoax. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking with her concerning these issues. The family would appreciate some time and space to assist Jennifer concerning these issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: In fact, we talked to some people here. We stopped into a couple of places. And the community is not quite as ready to forgive Jennifer as perhaps her family is. They really blame her for a lot of her family and this town's anguish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her parents have been crying. She put a lot of people in stress. And I don't know if he's going to marry that woman or not. You know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remains to be seen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It remains to be seen. That's true. That's true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to marry her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: Where the couple goes from here really remains to be seen. And of course, the family is probably going to be in seclusion for a while. But we will wait and see what happens -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And it wasn't too long ago that we did hear from a family spokesperson who said in that statement that we saw earlier, we want to give the family a little bit of time. Any inkling as to whether any other family or friends do plan to step forward to talk a little bit more, in her defense about what she may have been going through in the past few days?

BELGRAVE: Well, a couple of -- we happened to be -- I was standing with some of her bridesmaids when they actually got the word. And their initial reaction was, of course, to focus on the fact that nothing had really happened to her. That she was alive. That she was found. But they, of course, felt a very, very deep sense of, almost betrayal that she didn't feel she could come to them -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Denise Belgrave, thanks so much from Duluth, Georgia.

Well, shortly after Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared, her friends and family discounted any chance of her leaving on her own because of cold feet do you to her upcoming wedding. Well, today when the wedding was planned to be held, they found out that is exactly what happened. And you know the rest of the story. And tonight, a special. Tonight at 8:00 Eastern on CNN. A special edition of CNN "SATURDAY NIGHT." An in-depth look at case of Jennifer Wilbanks. And we'll have the latest developments on her reappearance.

Police in both Albuquerque, New Mexico and Duluth, Georgia say no criminal charges will be filed in the case in the missing bride. However the district attorney in the Wilbanks' home county says it may be too soon to make that call. Just what kind of criminal charges, if any, might be filed?

Here to answer some of those questions, New York criminal defense attorney Richard Herman. and in Cleveland, law professor and civil rights attorney Avery Friedman.

Good to see both of you gentlemen.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, PROFESSOR & CIVIL RIGHTS ATTNY.: Nice to see you.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTNY.: Nice to see you too, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. Boy, this is a really sticky situation, isn't it? Avery, let me begin with you. The district attorney saying well, not so fast. There might be some criminal charges that could be filed against Jennifer Wilbanks. For example, what?

FRIEDMAN: Well, we face -- we covered Martha Stewart. We covered all these very prominent people who lied to federal officials. Well, that's exactly what happened in this case. There are misstatements of truth. Misstatements of fact that were made to both local and state officials. So both local law enforcement, the local district attorney and the U.S. attorney in Atlanta have to give this some thought. I mean I don't know what's going to happen. But they're certainly going to think about it.

WHITFIELD: Well, it sounds like, for one, the D.A. says they want to reexamine some of her statements. We know, or at least we've heard, that she made the phone call to her fiance. And said I've been kidnapped. I suppose they really want to delve into that a little bit more closely, to find out what was her language. Right, Richard?

HERMAN: Well, you know, Fredricka, if you lie to a federal prosecutors or FBI agents, that is absolutely a crime. It's not the same with state prosecutions. And she didn't lie to anybody. She took off. Now, these statements for this telephone conversation took place during about a two year -- a two-hour time frame. That's all.

But the prosecution, if the D.A. does nothing here, then it might just send a message to law enforcement when you get these kind of calls that people are missing, a lot of people could be crying wolf, don't do anything.

FRIEDMAN: Oh no. HERMAN: On the other hand, if they don't do anything here, if they don't do anything, I mean it could cause, you know, a major problem here. Because people now might fear making these complaints. I mean they have to -- I think they have to do something. But believe me, she is not face anything jail. She's not face anything trials. Nothing like that.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, you disagree on that? You disagree that perhaps not doing anything doesn't perhaps set the tone that perhaps other people could call and cry wolf. I mean certainly an awful lot of resources were exhausted on all of this.

FRIEDMAN: You are exactly right, Fredricka. The difficult is that we are dealing with a situation -- it was interesting the reaction from the police chief in Albuquerque, who said there aren't going to be criminal charges. But I don't know that a great deal of thought has been given to this. I think those people, the best of the best in law enforcement, will see this. And I don't think it's going to deter what they do in crying to uncover criminal acts.

But at same time, should the individual involved in making these misrepresentations -- I want to correct one thing, that she did make a misrepresentation to an FBI special agent in New Mexico. So technically, there is a federal crime here. But I think there is going to be a lot more thought being given to this by both federal and state officials in Georgia.

HERMAN: But you know, Fred, if the impact, the overflow here, or the chilling effect might be that if they do prosecute her in some manner, people might be hesitant to report when a family member or a loved one, or someone they know is missing. So it's a real touchy scenario.

But the real lesson here is that a lot of people's eyes are on this groom to be. Everybody had this guy. He did it. He did it. He had to take a lie detector test. He had to go retain a criminal attorney. They wanted him to take a police lie detector. Everybody jumps to conclusions...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: ... and they just can't do that.

WHITFIELD: And that certainly happens...

FRIEDMAN: There was nothing wrong with local law enforcement making the inquiry. There's nothing wrong with that. But I appreciate with what Richard saying. I mean this guy loses his fiancee, and all of a sudden he's the primary.

WHITFIELD: And unfortunately, with a lot of these high-profile cases, or cases that become -- get national coverage, a lot of inferences are made.

Let's move onto the West Coast and talk about a case that is a bona fide criminal case that's now unfolding in the courtroom. Michael Jackson case.

And Avery, let's talk about how the prosecution's -- what was supposed to be a star witness, Debbie Rowe, really ended up falling flat and becoming almost a star witness for the defense. Is the prosecution's case falling apart when we're not seeing one, but perhaps even two witnesses that aren't really panning out way they wanted it to?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, when I woke up this morning and saw the headline that somebody got cold feet and headed to New Mexico, I was thinking maybe that's Tom Sneddon. The fact is he's got all kind of problems now.

Debbie Rowe, they should have figured out, this young woman has an agenda. She has spoken to her children since 2001. Hasn't spoken to Michael Jackson since 1999. She's looking for a way to get back into the lives of all three of those people.

WHITFIELD: Hmm.

FRIEDMAN: They should have been smart enough to figure out that she was going to do a sucker punch. That's what's happened.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, why wouldn't they figured that out?

HERMAN: Well, you know, Sneddon in my opinion is so inept. He may not have even interviewed her.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Why?

FRIEDMAN: No. No.

HERMAN: I don't know. But the point of the matter is this. If this is the wind-up of the prosecution case, you start with the star witness. And you end with the star witness or something strong.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, are you thinking that it's appearing to be the case the Sneddon has an axe to grind here? That perhaps he may have gotten something into a little too deep for his own personal reasons about.

Herman, Fred, I've thought this from the outset. He's had an obsession with Michael Jackson for the last 15 years. You know, he's in the twilight of his career. He's bringing this -- his last hoorah a against Jackson. It's a very, very weak case. There is no conspiracy case in my opinion. The molestation case, there is evidence on that.

FRIEDMAN: That's right.

HERMAN: I fear for Michael on that one. I think that this jury in Santa Barbara County, at least at this point, very well might convict him on the molestation. But absolutely not on the conspiracy. WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Richard Herman, Avery Friedman, thanks so much gentlemen. We're out of time, I wish we had more. But we will have to pick up this conversation next week.

FRIEDMAN: We'll see you soon.

HERMAN: We will.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you again.

Two former sports stars on two very different career paths. One is trying to recapture past glory. Can John Rocker make it back to the big leagues? The other, has run his last race on the track. Now Jim Runnion runs into -- or Ryun rather runs to keep his seat in Congress. He's in "THE NOVAK ZONE" coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's some other stories making news "Across America" now.

In Illinois, a woman is being held without bond today. Tanya Vasilev was in court yesterday where she was charged with stabbing her 9 year old and 3 year old daughter more than 200 times each. The children's father discovered the bloody scene Wednesday night.

In Pennsylvania, 19 children from a north Philadelphia elementary school are being given strong anti-retroviral drugs to keep them from contracting HIV. This, after a third grade student brought her mother's diabetes testing needle to school and stuck the children. One child initially tested positive for HIV, prompting the treatment.

And in Lansing, Michigan, Ralph and Mary Stepbons (ph) picked up a check for $1 million at a state lottery headquarters. It's a down payment for them. Winning the $208 million Mega-Millions Jackpot. The couple is taking their prize in a lump payment of $124.70 million before taxes.

Well, he's loud. He's obnoxious. He's back, love him or hate him. Controversial pitcher John Rocker is trying again for glory days.

Here's sports correspondent Larry Smith.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former major league pitcher John Rocker is back in the headlines. This time, though, it isn't for making offensive remarks against New Yorkers. Instead, the 30-year-old is attempting a comeback there with the Long Island Ducks; a minor league team.

JOHN ROCKER, PITCHER, LONG ISLAND DUCKS: I had surgery almost three years ago. And there were some doctors who told that I'd probably never pitch again. And I have a tendency to believe in myself a little more than other people do. SMITH: Rocker's battle with the Big Apple began in December of 1999 when the Atlanta Braves' hard throwing relief pitcher was quoted in "Sports Illustrated" bashing the city of New York. While touching on several topics, he complain all of the foreigners in city and went on to say, quote, "Imagine having to take the No. 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right, right next to some 20 year old mom with four kids. It's depressing."

Six months after the article appeared, Rocker made his return to New York in a game against the Mets. Security at Shea Stadium was increased and a canopy was put up in the visitor's bull pen to keep Mets from throwing anything at the volatile lefty. After that season his pitching and career faltered. Five years later, Rocker is back pitching just 35 miles from the Mets' home.

ROCKER: I hold no resentment to anybody in New York. I buried the a long time ago. And just kind of hope people will sort of return the favor to me.

SMITH: Rocker's Atlanta League debut was one to forget. He entered in the ninth inning of a tie game and proceeded to walk four batters, allowing the winning run to score. No matter how forgiving teams are about his history, Rocker has to prove he can pitch again, if he's going to make it back to the big leagues.

Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A different athlete with a very different story coming up next. Jim Ryun was a famous track star in America. Now he runs only in political races as a congressman. And he runs through "THE NOVAK ZONE" when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Jim Ryun was one of the fastest track stars in the U.S. and as the Congressman from Kansas, he's still running in more ways than one. He joins CNN's Robert Novak in this week's edition of "THE NOVAK ZONE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, "THE NOVAK ZONE": Welcome to "THE NOVAK ZONE." We're in the House Longworth Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the office of Congressman Jim Ryun, Republican of Kansas.

Congressman Ryun, you were 40 years ago one of the most famous athletes in the world. Everybody in America knew you as the world's greatest miler. Do your colleagues in Congress know how famous and popular you were then?

REP. JIM RYUN (R), KANSAS: Well, I've had some interesting responses, Bob. Some know. Some don't. I consider it certainly part of my past. But I am here to serve the people of Kansas as a representative from the second district.

NOVAK: You were 17 years old when you were on the Olympic team. Eighteen years old, you were the first high school athlete to break the four-minute mark in the mile. Was that more valuable as a preparation for the House of Representatives than your successful business career that followed it?

RYUN: Well, all of those -- all of that was important for me. Those early days taught me a lot about discipline. How to work hard. Set goals and accomplishing them. But one of the things that really had an impact on me, Bob, when I traveled overseas, especially to the old Soviet Union, competing in then of what was the United States versus the Soviet Union. And I had a chance to see up close what that lifestyle was all about.

And I come back to this country and make a commitment to myself, saying if I ever get a chance, I would like to do something to help make it just a little bit better. But we certainly don't want they have over there.

NOVAK: You know, when I was 17, 18 years old, luckily nobody even knew about me. And -- but you were -- you were so famous. Was that tough as a teenager to have your picture on magazine covers and so on?

RYUN: Well, it was challenging, especially when you really were just wanting to run fast. My first goals are very simple. I wanted to make an athletic team so I could win a letter jacket and get a girlfriend.

(LAUGHTER)

RYUN: And once those things were accomplished, it became more a matter of trying to run faster and faster. But I was just happy to run well. And When you have all of these things that happen so quickly, at the end of less than two years my first Olympic team, those are the kind of things that do have an impact on your future. Because they help you dream big dreams for the years to come.

NOVAK: You were a real amateur. You did it for love. The trackmen now, track women make more money know that the congressman. A lot more than a congressman. Is that good or bad.

RYUN: I don't think it's necessarily bad. It would have made things easier in my day. For the most part, you were running 100 miles a week or 120 miles a week. You had a job working 38 to 40 hours a week. And then I started to have a family. And that's one of the things that brought closure to my career.

Having had the opportunity in three different Olympics, my last Olympics, my wife and Ann were expecting our children. And it was the responsibility that I knew that I wanted to fulfill as a father. So the decision was to move on. But it certainly would have been easier if I'd had those kind of things that are available now for amateurs. NOVAK: Here in Congress, House committee investigating steroids and athletics. Is the use of steroids in sport, I guess, track & field as well as football and baseball, does that bother you.

RYUN: It bothers me a great deal. I know in my day, we did -- it was -- you knew it was there. But among the distance runners, what we would be talking about is how to train that much harder to get ready for the next race, or how you might run a faster race. But steroids were not a part of our vocabulary.

And I am disappointed how it has become part of sports today. And I feel very strongly that those who are abusing that particular position should be removed. They've had some records, those should be removed as well. You really aim to set high standard because of our young people. High school and younger look to those that are professionals. And I think that standard should be very, very high.

NOVAK: Congressman Ryun, in 1972 when you were on the U.S. Olympic Team and the terrorist came into the Olympic Village, it was a terrible experience. Did you take away any lessons from that for the war on terrorism the United States is carrying on now?

RYUN: I really did. You know, it was a very tragic incident in which it was for the first time, terrorists coming into a major sporting event, trying to disrupt it. And of course, there was the tremendous shoot-out at the airport and loss of lives.

After the events of 9/11, I reflected on that experience. I mean, in fact, I went to the Library of Congress. And I found the docu-drama that was put together called the "Sword of Gideon," which was the Israeli's response. And I spent some time studying, reading and listening to all of that, trying to determine just how they had responded.

They responded in such a way that I thought they not only let people know that they weren't going to stand for terrorism, but they were going to do what they could to root it out. And that's why I applaud what our president has done.

Terrorists don't do well with the appeasement. They need to know that you're going to be strong, and you've got an appropriate response. And for me that gave me a lot of courage to move ahead. And I agree with what our president's done. We need to make a very, very strong message to them, that terrorism will not be tolerated.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Congressman Jim Ryun, Republican of Kansas.

Congressman Ryun, in the Capital challenge, where members of Congress and their staffs run, you have won the last several races. Is that unfair that a world-class athlete is running against these poor politicians?

RYUN: Actually, I don't think it is. It is a team competition. And it's one of those races where they don't treat me with as much respect as they should. Because there are several of them that past me. However I am content with the fact that we do well as I team. And I am happy to be running still. You know, at my age with the numbers of miles that I have put in, I'm grateful that God gave me a good set of knees and back and everything that functions well, because some who have put in as many miles as I have, can't do that. So I'm very happy to still be running.

NOVAK: Jim Ryun, thank you very much.

RYUN: You're very welcome, Bob.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in "THE NOVAK ZONE."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as always, we'll have more from Bob Novak later on tonight. He and the rest of the "CAPITAL GANG" look at President Bush answering the tough questions on Social Security, energy and other matters. That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Still much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. At the top of the hour, it's "NEXT@CNN." At 4:00, CNN LIVE SATURDAY, we will talk with a psychologist about what made Jennifer Wilbanks that became the runaway pride. And at 5:00, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiling pop stars Mariah Carey and Usher.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Our top stories, no wedding tonight for reluctant bride who disappeared from her Georgia home Tuesday and showed up today instead in New Mexico. A massive three-day search came to an end when Jennifer Wilbanks called her family overnight. At first, she claim to have been abducted. Then later, Wilbanks confessed to police she had cold feet and had run away. What made her do it, and how

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 30, 2005 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening now in the news.
Four U.S. soldiers have been killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq. The attack happened near Tal Afar near the northern city of Mosul. A fifth soldier was killed today in a separate attack.

Two attacks in Cairo today. A bombing near a museum in the central city wounded seven people. Separately, two veiled women opened fire on police. The near-simultaneous attacks left all three assailants dead.

And family members are headed to New Mexico today to be with Georgia bride-to-be, Jennifer Wilbanks. Wilbanks turned up in Albuquerque, New Mexico today, three days after she disappeared from Georgia. She initially told police she was kidnapped. But now admits it was a case of cold feet. Her wedding was schedule for tonight in Duluth, Georgia.

And more now on that wedding that was to be tonight. Why didn't anyone suspect that Jennifer Wilbanks had a change of heart? Let's check in with our Denise Belgrave with some of the reaction out of Duluth, Georgia -- Denise.

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it's been a real roller-coaster ride for this small community just outside of Atlanta. Of course, there was a lot of joy last night when the news came out that Jennifer had been found in New Mexico and that she was alive. In fact, her fiance came out and told reporters that he had spoken with her and that he was overjoyed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MASON, JENNIFER'S FIANCE: I was crying. I was laughing. I was trying to stay calm to talk to her to keep her calm. and it's just so much. And you kind have to keep yourself composed because she didn't know where she was. She was scared to death. And I had to try to keep her on the phone until we got somebody to her. And when I finally put the phone down, I was just -- I don't know it was like the burden of the world off my shoulders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: Well that joy was very short-lived because just a few hours later, the family then found out that there was yet another story. And in fact, Jennifer's original story being kidnapped was a hoax. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS FAMILY SPOKESMAN: It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking with her concerning these issues. The family would appreciate some time and space to assist Jennifer concerning these issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: In fact, we talked to some people here. We stopped into a couple of places. And the community is not quite as ready to forgive Jennifer as perhaps her family is. They really blame her for a lot of her family and this town's anguish.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her parents have been crying. She put a lot of people in stress. And I don't know if he's going to marry that woman or not. You know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Remains to be seen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It remains to be seen. That's true. That's true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to marry her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELGRAVE: Where the couple goes from here really remains to be seen. And of course, the family is probably going to be in seclusion for a while. But we will wait and see what happens -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And it wasn't too long ago that we did hear from a family spokesperson who said in that statement that we saw earlier, we want to give the family a little bit of time. Any inkling as to whether any other family or friends do plan to step forward to talk a little bit more, in her defense about what she may have been going through in the past few days?

BELGRAVE: Well, a couple of -- we happened to be -- I was standing with some of her bridesmaids when they actually got the word. And their initial reaction was, of course, to focus on the fact that nothing had really happened to her. That she was alive. That she was found. But they, of course, felt a very, very deep sense of, almost betrayal that she didn't feel she could come to them -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Denise Belgrave, thanks so much from Duluth, Georgia.

Well, shortly after Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared, her friends and family discounted any chance of her leaving on her own because of cold feet do you to her upcoming wedding. Well, today when the wedding was planned to be held, they found out that is exactly what happened. And you know the rest of the story. And tonight, a special. Tonight at 8:00 Eastern on CNN. A special edition of CNN "SATURDAY NIGHT." An in-depth look at case of Jennifer Wilbanks. And we'll have the latest developments on her reappearance.

Police in both Albuquerque, New Mexico and Duluth, Georgia say no criminal charges will be filed in the case in the missing bride. However the district attorney in the Wilbanks' home county says it may be too soon to make that call. Just what kind of criminal charges, if any, might be filed?

Here to answer some of those questions, New York criminal defense attorney Richard Herman. and in Cleveland, law professor and civil rights attorney Avery Friedman.

Good to see both of you gentlemen.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, PROFESSOR & CIVIL RIGHTS ATTNY.: Nice to see you.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTNY.: Nice to see you too, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: OK. Boy, this is a really sticky situation, isn't it? Avery, let me begin with you. The district attorney saying well, not so fast. There might be some criminal charges that could be filed against Jennifer Wilbanks. For example, what?

FRIEDMAN: Well, we face -- we covered Martha Stewart. We covered all these very prominent people who lied to federal officials. Well, that's exactly what happened in this case. There are misstatements of truth. Misstatements of fact that were made to both local and state officials. So both local law enforcement, the local district attorney and the U.S. attorney in Atlanta have to give this some thought. I mean I don't know what's going to happen. But they're certainly going to think about it.

WHITFIELD: Well, it sounds like, for one, the D.A. says they want to reexamine some of her statements. We know, or at least we've heard, that she made the phone call to her fiance. And said I've been kidnapped. I suppose they really want to delve into that a little bit more closely, to find out what was her language. Right, Richard?

HERMAN: Well, you know, Fredricka, if you lie to a federal prosecutors or FBI agents, that is absolutely a crime. It's not the same with state prosecutions. And she didn't lie to anybody. She took off. Now, these statements for this telephone conversation took place during about a two year -- a two-hour time frame. That's all.

But the prosecution, if the D.A. does nothing here, then it might just send a message to law enforcement when you get these kind of calls that people are missing, a lot of people could be crying wolf, don't do anything.

FRIEDMAN: Oh no. HERMAN: On the other hand, if they don't do anything here, if they don't do anything, I mean it could cause, you know, a major problem here. Because people now might fear making these complaints. I mean they have to -- I think they have to do something. But believe me, she is not face anything jail. She's not face anything trials. Nothing like that.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, you disagree on that? You disagree that perhaps not doing anything doesn't perhaps set the tone that perhaps other people could call and cry wolf. I mean certainly an awful lot of resources were exhausted on all of this.

FRIEDMAN: You are exactly right, Fredricka. The difficult is that we are dealing with a situation -- it was interesting the reaction from the police chief in Albuquerque, who said there aren't going to be criminal charges. But I don't know that a great deal of thought has been given to this. I think those people, the best of the best in law enforcement, will see this. And I don't think it's going to deter what they do in crying to uncover criminal acts.

But at same time, should the individual involved in making these misrepresentations -- I want to correct one thing, that she did make a misrepresentation to an FBI special agent in New Mexico. So technically, there is a federal crime here. But I think there is going to be a lot more thought being given to this by both federal and state officials in Georgia.

HERMAN: But you know, Fred, if the impact, the overflow here, or the chilling effect might be that if they do prosecute her in some manner, people might be hesitant to report when a family member or a loved one, or someone they know is missing. So it's a real touchy scenario.

But the real lesson here is that a lot of people's eyes are on this groom to be. Everybody had this guy. He did it. He did it. He had to take a lie detector test. He had to go retain a criminal attorney. They wanted him to take a police lie detector. Everybody jumps to conclusions...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: ... and they just can't do that.

WHITFIELD: And that certainly happens...

FRIEDMAN: There was nothing wrong with local law enforcement making the inquiry. There's nothing wrong with that. But I appreciate with what Richard saying. I mean this guy loses his fiancee, and all of a sudden he's the primary.

WHITFIELD: And unfortunately, with a lot of these high-profile cases, or cases that become -- get national coverage, a lot of inferences are made.

Let's move onto the West Coast and talk about a case that is a bona fide criminal case that's now unfolding in the courtroom. Michael Jackson case.

And Avery, let's talk about how the prosecution's -- what was supposed to be a star witness, Debbie Rowe, really ended up falling flat and becoming almost a star witness for the defense. Is the prosecution's case falling apart when we're not seeing one, but perhaps even two witnesses that aren't really panning out way they wanted it to?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, when I woke up this morning and saw the headline that somebody got cold feet and headed to New Mexico, I was thinking maybe that's Tom Sneddon. The fact is he's got all kind of problems now.

Debbie Rowe, they should have figured out, this young woman has an agenda. She has spoken to her children since 2001. Hasn't spoken to Michael Jackson since 1999. She's looking for a way to get back into the lives of all three of those people.

WHITFIELD: Hmm.

FRIEDMAN: They should have been smart enough to figure out that she was going to do a sucker punch. That's what's happened.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, why wouldn't they figured that out?

HERMAN: Well, you know, Sneddon in my opinion is so inept. He may not have even interviewed her.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. Why?

FRIEDMAN: No. No.

HERMAN: I don't know. But the point of the matter is this. If this is the wind-up of the prosecution case, you start with the star witness. And you end with the star witness or something strong.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, are you thinking that it's appearing to be the case the Sneddon has an axe to grind here? That perhaps he may have gotten something into a little too deep for his own personal reasons about.

Herman, Fred, I've thought this from the outset. He's had an obsession with Michael Jackson for the last 15 years. You know, he's in the twilight of his career. He's bringing this -- his last hoorah a against Jackson. It's a very, very weak case. There is no conspiracy case in my opinion. The molestation case, there is evidence on that.

FRIEDMAN: That's right.

HERMAN: I fear for Michael on that one. I think that this jury in Santa Barbara County, at least at this point, very well might convict him on the molestation. But absolutely not on the conspiracy. WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. Richard Herman, Avery Friedman, thanks so much gentlemen. We're out of time, I wish we had more. But we will have to pick up this conversation next week.

FRIEDMAN: We'll see you soon.

HERMAN: We will.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see you again.

Two former sports stars on two very different career paths. One is trying to recapture past glory. Can John Rocker make it back to the big leagues? The other, has run his last race on the track. Now Jim Runnion runs into -- or Ryun rather runs to keep his seat in Congress. He's in "THE NOVAK ZONE" coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's some other stories making news "Across America" now.

In Illinois, a woman is being held without bond today. Tanya Vasilev was in court yesterday where she was charged with stabbing her 9 year old and 3 year old daughter more than 200 times each. The children's father discovered the bloody scene Wednesday night.

In Pennsylvania, 19 children from a north Philadelphia elementary school are being given strong anti-retroviral drugs to keep them from contracting HIV. This, after a third grade student brought her mother's diabetes testing needle to school and stuck the children. One child initially tested positive for HIV, prompting the treatment.

And in Lansing, Michigan, Ralph and Mary Stepbons (ph) picked up a check for $1 million at a state lottery headquarters. It's a down payment for them. Winning the $208 million Mega-Millions Jackpot. The couple is taking their prize in a lump payment of $124.70 million before taxes.

Well, he's loud. He's obnoxious. He's back, love him or hate him. Controversial pitcher John Rocker is trying again for glory days.

Here's sports correspondent Larry Smith.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former major league pitcher John Rocker is back in the headlines. This time, though, it isn't for making offensive remarks against New Yorkers. Instead, the 30-year-old is attempting a comeback there with the Long Island Ducks; a minor league team.

JOHN ROCKER, PITCHER, LONG ISLAND DUCKS: I had surgery almost three years ago. And there were some doctors who told that I'd probably never pitch again. And I have a tendency to believe in myself a little more than other people do. SMITH: Rocker's battle with the Big Apple began in December of 1999 when the Atlanta Braves' hard throwing relief pitcher was quoted in "Sports Illustrated" bashing the city of New York. While touching on several topics, he complain all of the foreigners in city and went on to say, quote, "Imagine having to take the No. 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right, right next to some 20 year old mom with four kids. It's depressing."

Six months after the article appeared, Rocker made his return to New York in a game against the Mets. Security at Shea Stadium was increased and a canopy was put up in the visitor's bull pen to keep Mets from throwing anything at the volatile lefty. After that season his pitching and career faltered. Five years later, Rocker is back pitching just 35 miles from the Mets' home.

ROCKER: I hold no resentment to anybody in New York. I buried the a long time ago. And just kind of hope people will sort of return the favor to me.

SMITH: Rocker's Atlanta League debut was one to forget. He entered in the ninth inning of a tie game and proceeded to walk four batters, allowing the winning run to score. No matter how forgiving teams are about his history, Rocker has to prove he can pitch again, if he's going to make it back to the big leagues.

Larry Smith, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: A different athlete with a very different story coming up next. Jim Ryun was a famous track star in America. Now he runs only in political races as a congressman. And he runs through "THE NOVAK ZONE" when CNN LIVE SATURDAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Jim Ryun was one of the fastest track stars in the U.S. and as the Congressman from Kansas, he's still running in more ways than one. He joins CNN's Robert Novak in this week's edition of "THE NOVAK ZONE."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST, "THE NOVAK ZONE": Welcome to "THE NOVAK ZONE." We're in the House Longworth Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the office of Congressman Jim Ryun, Republican of Kansas.

Congressman Ryun, you were 40 years ago one of the most famous athletes in the world. Everybody in America knew you as the world's greatest miler. Do your colleagues in Congress know how famous and popular you were then?

REP. JIM RYUN (R), KANSAS: Well, I've had some interesting responses, Bob. Some know. Some don't. I consider it certainly part of my past. But I am here to serve the people of Kansas as a representative from the second district.

NOVAK: You were 17 years old when you were on the Olympic team. Eighteen years old, you were the first high school athlete to break the four-minute mark in the mile. Was that more valuable as a preparation for the House of Representatives than your successful business career that followed it?

RYUN: Well, all of those -- all of that was important for me. Those early days taught me a lot about discipline. How to work hard. Set goals and accomplishing them. But one of the things that really had an impact on me, Bob, when I traveled overseas, especially to the old Soviet Union, competing in then of what was the United States versus the Soviet Union. And I had a chance to see up close what that lifestyle was all about.

And I come back to this country and make a commitment to myself, saying if I ever get a chance, I would like to do something to help make it just a little bit better. But we certainly don't want they have over there.

NOVAK: You know, when I was 17, 18 years old, luckily nobody even knew about me. And -- but you were -- you were so famous. Was that tough as a teenager to have your picture on magazine covers and so on?

RYUN: Well, it was challenging, especially when you really were just wanting to run fast. My first goals are very simple. I wanted to make an athletic team so I could win a letter jacket and get a girlfriend.

(LAUGHTER)

RYUN: And once those things were accomplished, it became more a matter of trying to run faster and faster. But I was just happy to run well. And When you have all of these things that happen so quickly, at the end of less than two years my first Olympic team, those are the kind of things that do have an impact on your future. Because they help you dream big dreams for the years to come.

NOVAK: You were a real amateur. You did it for love. The trackmen now, track women make more money know that the congressman. A lot more than a congressman. Is that good or bad.

RYUN: I don't think it's necessarily bad. It would have made things easier in my day. For the most part, you were running 100 miles a week or 120 miles a week. You had a job working 38 to 40 hours a week. And then I started to have a family. And that's one of the things that brought closure to my career.

Having had the opportunity in three different Olympics, my last Olympics, my wife and Ann were expecting our children. And it was the responsibility that I knew that I wanted to fulfill as a father. So the decision was to move on. But it certainly would have been easier if I'd had those kind of things that are available now for amateurs. NOVAK: Here in Congress, House committee investigating steroids and athletics. Is the use of steroids in sport, I guess, track & field as well as football and baseball, does that bother you.

RYUN: It bothers me a great deal. I know in my day, we did -- it was -- you knew it was there. But among the distance runners, what we would be talking about is how to train that much harder to get ready for the next race, or how you might run a faster race. But steroids were not a part of our vocabulary.

And I am disappointed how it has become part of sports today. And I feel very strongly that those who are abusing that particular position should be removed. They've had some records, those should be removed as well. You really aim to set high standard because of our young people. High school and younger look to those that are professionals. And I think that standard should be very, very high.

NOVAK: Congressman Ryun, in 1972 when you were on the U.S. Olympic Team and the terrorist came into the Olympic Village, it was a terrible experience. Did you take away any lessons from that for the war on terrorism the United States is carrying on now?

RYUN: I really did. You know, it was a very tragic incident in which it was for the first time, terrorists coming into a major sporting event, trying to disrupt it. And of course, there was the tremendous shoot-out at the airport and loss of lives.

After the events of 9/11, I reflected on that experience. I mean, in fact, I went to the Library of Congress. And I found the docu-drama that was put together called the "Sword of Gideon," which was the Israeli's response. And I spent some time studying, reading and listening to all of that, trying to determine just how they had responded.

They responded in such a way that I thought they not only let people know that they weren't going to stand for terrorism, but they were going to do what they could to root it out. And that's why I applaud what our president has done.

Terrorists don't do well with the appeasement. They need to know that you're going to be strong, and you've got an appropriate response. And for me that gave me a lot of courage to move ahead. And I agree with what our president's done. We need to make a very, very strong message to them, that terrorism will not be tolerated.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Congressman Jim Ryun, Republican of Kansas.

Congressman Ryun, in the Capital challenge, where members of Congress and their staffs run, you have won the last several races. Is that unfair that a world-class athlete is running against these poor politicians?

RYUN: Actually, I don't think it is. It is a team competition. And it's one of those races where they don't treat me with as much respect as they should. Because there are several of them that past me. However I am content with the fact that we do well as I team. And I am happy to be running still. You know, at my age with the numbers of miles that I have put in, I'm grateful that God gave me a good set of knees and back and everything that functions well, because some who have put in as many miles as I have, can't do that. So I'm very happy to still be running.

NOVAK: Jim Ryun, thank you very much.

RYUN: You're very welcome, Bob.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in "THE NOVAK ZONE."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as always, we'll have more from Bob Novak later on tonight. He and the rest of the "CAPITAL GANG" look at President Bush answering the tough questions on Social Security, energy and other matters. That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Still much more ahead on CNN SATURDAY. At the top of the hour, it's "NEXT@CNN." At 4:00, CNN LIVE SATURDAY, we will talk with a psychologist about what made Jennifer Wilbanks that became the runaway pride. And at 5:00, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiling pop stars Mariah Carey and Usher.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Our top stories, no wedding tonight for reluctant bride who disappeared from her Georgia home Tuesday and showed up today instead in New Mexico. A massive three-day search came to an end when Jennifer Wilbanks called her family overnight. At first, she claim to have been abducted. Then later, Wilbanks confessed to police she had cold feet and had run away. What made her do it, and how

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