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Live From...
Interview With Diane Diamond
Aired November 18, 2003 - 13:44 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are going back to Santa Barbara for just a moment. We have Diane Dimond on the phone with us to give us as much information as possible at this point about Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.
As we've been telling you, Santa Barbara's Sheriff's Department and district attorney's office had executed a search warrant earlier today. We want to learn more if we can from Diane Dimond. Diane, what do you know about this point?
DIANE DIMOND, COURT TV: I'm standing right outside the gates of Neverland. As we speak, there's a helicopter overhead. Actually, there's three helicopters overhead.
Early today, about 8:30 local time, a convoy of Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department officials went into Neverland ranch with a search warrant. They executed a search warrant that is sealed. We have no official confirmation of what it is looking for or why they're at Neverland ranch.
I've been working this story for many years and I am hearing that it all has to do that are very familiar when you mention the name Michael Jackson, allegations of child sexual molestation.
But again, as of right now, no charges have been filed. There's an awfully big contingent in here. There was a big forensic mobile lab, there were about a dozen marked and unmarked police cars from the Sheriff's Department.
We understand that the district attorney himself, Tom Stedden (ph), is inside Neverland directing this search. They even brought in a Port-O-Potty not a long time ago. So I would imagine that they're going to be in there most of today and maybe even longer than that.
HAYNES: All right, Diane. And it's good point to mention because we are not looking at live pictures. We're looking at video from earlier today when the search began. The investigators are still on the scene at this point?
DIMOND: Yes, I'm looking at one, two, three uniformed officers standing right through the gate. The wrought iron gate of Neverland. They're looking up in the sky trying to tell exactly who own it is helicopters overhead. I'm going to guess they are from media, paparazzi helicopters.
I should tell you that this has been a long-time coming for this district attorney. This district attorney, along with the one from Los Angeles, back in 1993, heard a case of the original accuser. They tried to bring charges against Michael Jackson, but in that case the family took a monetary settlement. And so there was no court case. There were no charges filed because they had no victim to testify in court.
We'll see what happens in this case. I'm hearing that charges, official charges will be filed shortly.
COLLINS: And, Diane, we had also heard at least from a source claiming to be close to Michael Jackson that he was not there when this search was going on, and obviously now as it continues. What do you know about that?
DIMOND: Well, I wish I were a fly on the wall inside Neverland Ranch.
We don't know. There are reports that he's in Las Vegas filming a video, a music video. But shortly after this contingent, you know, kind of rolled into the ranch this morning, an ambulance left. And given the frail health of Michael Jackson, my immediate thought was maybe he suffered some sort of stress or collapse and it was he in the ambulance.
But we have not been able to confirm that or his where abouts. We just don't know.
You know, I should say parenthetically, I wonder where his three children are. He has three children of his own. Are they inside watching the police span out across Neverland or are they somewhere else, are they in Vegas with Michael Jackson? Are there child protective service personnel looking for them?
These -- again, it's early. This is still a developing story. We just don't have those answers.
HAYNES: Of course. We don't want to put you in a position to do speculating. So, Diane Dimond, we appreciate your time very much from Court TV for us. We'll check back in later.
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 November 18, 2003 - 13:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We are going back to Santa Barbara for just a moment. We have Diane Dimond on the phone with us to give us as much information as possible at this point about Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.
As we've been telling you, Santa Barbara's Sheriff's Department and district attorney's office had executed a search warrant earlier today. We want to learn more if we can from Diane Dimond. Diane, what do you know about this point?
DIANE DIMOND, COURT TV: I'm standing right outside the gates of Neverland. As we speak, there's a helicopter overhead. Actually, there's three helicopters overhead.
Early today, about 8:30 local time, a convoy of Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department officials went into Neverland ranch with a search warrant. They executed a search warrant that is sealed. We have no official confirmation of what it is looking for or why they're at Neverland ranch.
I've been working this story for many years and I am hearing that it all has to do that are very familiar when you mention the name Michael Jackson, allegations of child sexual molestation.
But again, as of right now, no charges have been filed. There's an awfully big contingent in here. There was a big forensic mobile lab, there were about a dozen marked and unmarked police cars from the Sheriff's Department.
We understand that the district attorney himself, Tom Stedden (ph), is inside Neverland directing this search. They even brought in a Port-O-Potty not a long time ago. So I would imagine that they're going to be in there most of today and maybe even longer than that.
HAYNES: All right, Diane. And it's good point to mention because we are not looking at live pictures. We're looking at video from earlier today when the search began. The investigators are still on the scene at this point?
DIMOND: Yes, I'm looking at one, two, three uniformed officers standing right through the gate. The wrought iron gate of Neverland. They're looking up in the sky trying to tell exactly who own it is helicopters overhead. I'm going to guess they are from media, paparazzi helicopters.
I should tell you that this has been a long-time coming for this district attorney. This district attorney, along with the one from Los Angeles, back in 1993, heard a case of the original accuser. They tried to bring charges against Michael Jackson, but in that case the family took a monetary settlement. And so there was no court case. There were no charges filed because they had no victim to testify in court.
We'll see what happens in this case. I'm hearing that charges, official charges will be filed shortly.
COLLINS: And, Diane, we had also heard at least from a source claiming to be close to Michael Jackson that he was not there when this search was going on, and obviously now as it continues. What do you know about that?
DIMOND: Well, I wish I were a fly on the wall inside Neverland Ranch.
We don't know. There are reports that he's in Las Vegas filming a video, a music video. But shortly after this contingent, you know, kind of rolled into the ranch this morning, an ambulance left. And given the frail health of Michael Jackson, my immediate thought was maybe he suffered some sort of stress or collapse and it was he in the ambulance.
But we have not been able to confirm that or his where abouts. We just don't know.
You know, I should say parenthetically, I wonder where his three children are. He has three children of his own. Are they inside watching the police span out across Neverland or are they somewhere else, are they in Vegas with Michael Jackson? Are there child protective service personnel looking for them?
These -- again, it's early. This is still a developing story. We just don't have those answers.
HAYNES: Of course. We don't want to put you in a position to do speculating. So, Diane Dimond, we appreciate your time very much from Court TV for us. We'll check back in later.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
