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Mayor Willing to Consider Deal with Runaway Bride; Police Arrest Mother in 'Precious Doe' Case; Sexual Offenders Disappear in Florida
Aired May 05, 2005 - 13:00 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Sexual predator on the loose. Police in Florida say they're looking for this man after he took off his tracking device and vanished. We're live on the story.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Case solved. More than four years after her headless body was found, police say they now know Precious Doe's real name and who killed her.
O'BRIEN: New York explosions. Right now, surveillance video may be the key to figuring out who planted some bombs outside the building housing the British consulate.
PHILLIPS: And is the runaway bride ready to kiss and make up with the city that spent days searching for her?
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm sorry, Kyra, I'm Miles O'Brien. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
PHILLIPS: Reconcilable differences? CNN has learned that a deal may be in the works for Jennifer Wilbanks to repay the city of Duluth, Georgia, for the time and effort spent looking for her days before her ill-fated wedding.
CNN's Carol Lin is in Wilbanks' hometown of Gainesville. Carol, what do we know?
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I talked with the mayor of Duluth a short time ago. And she said the cost, between $40,000 and $60,000 to search for Jennifer Wilbanks. But she is willing to consider a deal of maybe some financial restitution, but some of it in community service.
When I said to Mayor Shirley Lasseter, "Well what do you mean by that, because folks calling into talk radio are saying they'd like to see this woman picking up trash by the side of the highway."
She said no, no, no. No such thing. Of course, that would be inappropriate, but something that would tap into this young woman's talents, maybe some of her medical background, some of her nursing knowledge. One idea that she floated was maybe that she could man a blood pressure station at a county fair and work with some elderly people, something of that sort.
But she said that she would be willing to consider something other than a full monetary payment to reimburse the city, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Carol Lin, thank you so much.
And of course, we'll be waiting for a news conference from the runaway bride. Evidently, a statement. We're going to hear from the family pastor and also Wilbanks' attorney, Lydia Sartain. We'll take that live as soon as it happens.
O'BRIEN: Four years and one week after her brutalized body was found in Kansas City, Missouri, Precious Doe has a name. More precisely, Kansas City police know the rightful name of the tiny victim whose case they never stopped working on, a case they believe is now solved, with the arrest of the young girl's mother.
Here's CNN's Drew Griffin.
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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The announcement was made late this morning this morning here in Kansas City, Missouri, after four long years. The people of Kansas City now know the name of the girl that they adopted as Precious Doe.
Her name is Erica Green. And her mother, Michelle Johnson, has been arrested by Kansas City police in Oklahoma, confessing to this horrific crime. The mother telling police that she and her husband, her then husband, decapitated this child after the husband had kicked the child and it was unresponsive for two days. They disposed of the body, putting her head in one spot, her body in a Dumpster.
It was finally a tip that came in from a newspaper ad, placed by an activist in Kansas City who just would not let this case die, a member of the Precious Doe committee. That tip, called into police just this week, led to the arrest in Oklahoma and a resolution in a four-long year case that has plagued Kansas City.
In Kansas City, Drew Griffin, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: On the loose with nothing, supposedly, to lose. Police across Florida are looking for a convicted sexual predator who allegedly cut off his probationary tracking device and make tracks.
We get the latest from CNN's John Zarrella. He's in Miami -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, they're looking not just for one on the east coast of Florida here now, but also a second sexual offender, we are told.
Now, Palm Beach County police are looking for a man they believe to be a threat. His name is Patrick Wayne Bell. He is 39 years old. Now, Bell is a registered sexual predator. He spent six years in prison for crimes against children. He was only released a month ago. On May 3, he went to his mother's home in Riviera Beach, where he cut off the ankle bracelet, which is also a GPS monitoring device. At that point, he fled.
Now, police say that Bell who, again, got out of prison about a month ago, couldn't live with his mother, because his mother lives within 1,000 feet of a day care center. And the two motels that he had been staying at both kicked him out, after they found out who he was.
Now police say if you know anything about his whereabouts, to call this number. The number is 1-800-458-TIPS. That's 1-800-458- TIPS.
Now, the crimes that he committed, sexual battery and lewd and lascivious conduct against children, one under 16 and one under 12 years old.
Now, a little further up the east coast, in St. Lucie County, police are looking for Jimmy James Felder. He's 39 -- 37 years old. He is a registered sexual offender, not a sexual predator. But he also cut off his ankle bracelet.
He was released just this past Saturday, cut off his ankle bracelet on Monday and threw it in a canal. So they are looking for this man as well.
Now, it's interesting and it begs a couple of questions, Kyra. One, how come it's so easy for these guys to cut these ankle bracelets off? And also, the other point is, perhaps with all of the attention that sex offenders have been getting in the wake of the killings of young children here in Florida, that perhaps more and more of them are just running scared -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now, John, are these two separate instances? Do these men know each other or it just happens that both of them at the same time did the same thing?
ZARRELLA: Just both of them it happens at the same time, one in Palm Beach County, one a little further north in St. Lucie County.
Now remember, there are, according to recent studies, some 1,800 sexual offenders in Florida who have absconded, which means nobody knows where they are. And sexual offenders overall in the state of Florida, 33,990.
So it's not necessarily unusual to see these people absconding. Again, 1,800, that apparently no one knows where they are -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: The system's got to chance. John Zarrella, thank you.
O'BRIEN: They're described as novelty-type grenades, but no one's laughing at the scene of this morning's explosions outside a high-rise in midtown Manhattan. No one's wounded either. Damage minimal. Police have no idea who planted the devices, though the Associated Press is reporting a Dutch employee of the U.N. is being questioned.
CNN's Jason Carroll joining us now with the latest -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we can tell you is the police are telling us that they are questioning a man who was seen loitering in the area. He has been questioned for the past few hours or so. But at this point, they are still saying they have no one who is claiming responsibility for what happened out here.
And so let's review what happened. It was very early this morning. There was an explosion. Some people said they actually heard two explosions.
When investigators got out here at the scene, what they found was two improvised explosive devices. They were described as being relatively unsophisticated. We're told they look like novelty or toy grenades that were loaded with black powder and a fuse. They were hidden in a concrete planter in front of the building.
One man who was staying in a hotel across the street described what he heard early this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY LAUREN, WITNESS: It was so loud that it woke me up out of a sound sleep, and my first thought was it was an explosion in the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Again, that explosion took place outside a building where the British consulate is housed. There are several other offices in the building, as well. Elections took place in the U.K. today. Even so, New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg, says you can't draw any conclusions from that, based on what they know so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: We, at this point have absolutely no knowledge of what the motive was. We did not receive any phone calls. It is true the British consulate is in that building, but I don't think anybody should jump to conclusions. That's what the purpose of an investigation is. And when we learn something, we'll be happy to share it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: So what's going to happen next? Well, investigators are going to be checking out the security cameras that were located at the building as well as some of the security cameras that are located in some of the neighboring building, as well. Perhaps they'll be able to get more information from that. The mayor says that there were no threats or phone calls made prior to this incident. And he says there have been no threats or phone calls made since it happened -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Jason, what about other tenants in that building? Could they have been the target?
CARROLL: It's quite possible. There are other companies in that building. Caterpillar is one. The Weather Channel is another one that's in there, as well.
This is part of the reason why, you know, investigators who are out here at this point are saying it's too early to draw any conclusions about the British consulate and the possible connection to the explosions.
O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll in Manhattan, thank you very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: There's word from Pakistan that Abu Faraj al-Libbi, the terror suspect described as al Qaeda's third in command, is talking to investigators, who in turn are briefing U.S. intelligence.
Al-Libbi was captured Monday in a Pakistani town near the Afghan border, pretty much where Osama bin Laden is still presumed to be holed up with, or near, his top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
A U.S. official tells CNN that al-Libbi directed bin Laden's global operations, including attack planning against the U.S.
CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security, so stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
O'BRIEN: What's the best way to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists? A new report says the world need to watch Russia very closely. We'll find out why in our conversation with terror expert Jim Walsh. That's coming up.
Also ahead...
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What I'm going to do now is try and separate myself from the other suspect, figuring by separating the sets, the dogs that are chasing us will get confused, and they won't be able to find me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What we have here is a failure to communicate. Cool Hand Rick, the bloodhounds, hot on the trail of CNN's Rick Sanchez. He takes us inside a fugitive manhunt. You won't want to miss it.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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PHILLIPS: More now on keeping nuclear weapons and materials out of the hands of terrorists and hostile nations. How are we doing so far? What more needs to be done?
WMD expert Jim Walsh joins us to talk about a new report card out from Harvard. He actually does this every year.
Good to see you, Jim.
JIM WALSH, WMD EXPERT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good to see you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. The title of your report, and I've read it, it's "Calling for Fast Paced Global Effort to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism." This report card against other report cards, is it getting better? Is it getting worse? Where do we stand?
WALSH: Well, I think there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is we are making incremental progress. And on the budget issues, we're spending a little bit more money.
But, you know, if you're in a 100-yard dash and you're jogging, you're making finish towards -- you're making progress towards the finish line, but you're not going to win the race. And I think the bottom line from our report is, yes, we're making progress. That's great. But we're not moving nearly fast enough.
We're probably not going to reach our goal of having all this material secured by 2008. It may take as much as 10 years to do this project right. And do we have 10 years to let that material be vulnerable, open to theft by a terrorist? My answer is no.
So I think we have to work a lot harder. We're doing better, but we've got a lot of work to do.
PHILLIPS: All right. When we talk about the material, of course, we're talking about highly enriched plutonium and uranium. Right now, your biggest fear is what country?
WALSH: Well, Russia is the country where we have the most material. You know, during the Cold War, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union built up these huge stockpiles. And what we're doing today is we're facing that terrible legacy from before.
So in the Soviet Union, there's something like 600 tons of nuclear material -- tons of nuclear material. Only about half of which is really secure. So that's job No. 1.
But also in about -- in dozens of countries there are little research reactors that use the highly enriched uranium, and we're concerned about that. We want to make sure that every kilogram, every gram, every ounce of nuclear bomb material, is as secure as the gold in Ft. Knox so that terrorists cannot get access to it.
PHILLIPS: And I've asked you about this and these materials. Do they have to exist? And you say trash to some, treasure to others. The United States sees it as waste, no, we don't need it, yet Russia says this is an asset.
WALSH: That's exactly right, particularly with respect to plutonium. In the U.S., we consider plutonium really a waste, something to be buried and disposed of. The Russians have viewed this a little differently. They think of it as an energy asset that they can maybe make some money off of.
But the broader picture is this, that really, at the end of the day, there is no good commercial use for highly enriched uranium and for plutonium.
And so we should really be working on two tracks. We should be sure that we're securing all that already exists, hopefully burying it and getting rid of it, and we shouldn't be producing more of it. You know, the world's nations continue to produce this stuff, and there's really no need for it. So I think both approaches need to work in tandem.
PHILLIPS: Do we know if terrorists have, indeed, infiltrated these materials and these stockpiles, to this point? Do we know that?
WALSH: We cannot confirm. And in fact, the intelligence community has testified before Congress that they can't -- that they know of no cases where a terrorist has acquired the material, but they cannot provide the assurance that it hasn't happened. So we really don't know.
Now, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, keeps a database of nuclear smuggling incidents. So we do know that people have tried to smuggle various materials, some of them nuclear materials, some of them just radioactive junk. And we know that people have been approached about that, about selling or buying it. But we don't have any direct cases of a terrorist buying that material.
But, you know, it's like a ticking time bomb. If you wait and you wait and you wait, you wait 10 years and you don't finish the job, then eventually, something's going to happen.
PHILLIPS: Well, some of that waiting has stopped. You told me about programs going on within the Department of Energy. You've laid out suggestions in this report.
One unique part of that, you were telling me, that those within the Department of Energy, trying to employ scientists that know about these materials, know how to make nuclear bombs, are not employed -- they want to make sure they're not employed by terrorists. What's going on on that effort?
WALSH: Sure, there are a wide range of programs run by the Department of Energy and others. And one is this effort to employ scientists so that they don't get recruited by an al Qaeda or recruited by a country to go work in their bomb program. Remember, in the old Soviet Union, most of these nuclear activities occurred in cities. They were called nuclear cities, and they sort of walled off the city, and everyone in the city worked on nuclear weapons.
And then, of course, when the Soviet Union collapsed and they really stopped producing large numbers of nuclear weapons, suddenly all these people didn't have a job anymore and weren't receiving a paycheck.
And so one of the programs, in addition to protecting the material and protecting the warheads, is to try to create some -- create some employment for these guys so they don't go off and join a bomb program somewhere else.
PHILLIPS: What about this relationship between Russia and Iran, and is that a big concern?
WALSH: Well, I think it's an issue that the U.S. and Russia continue to talk about.
Now, on the one hand, Russia does not want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. That's not in Russia's self-interest.
On the other hand, Russia has a big nuclear industry and would like to sell some power reactors to Iran to help keep its own nuclear industry afloat.
I think the critical issue here, though, is not power reactors, but it's what we've been talking about in the news. It's enrichment and reprocessing. You can have a civilian nuclear program that does not pose a bomb threat if you stay away from enrichment and reprocessing. And I think that's where our focus has to be and where Russia has to help us to make sure -- or to persuade Iran that this is not the right path.
PHILLIPS: Jim Walsh, Harvard University. And you continue to put out these reports. I know we'll talk before next year's report card, but...
WALSH: I hope so.
PHILLIPS: ... until then, thanks so much, Jim.
WALSH: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right.
O'BRIEN: Disabled fireman Don Herbert celebrates his 43rd birthday this Saturday, just a week after uttering his first words in nearly a decade. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with more on how medication may have helped him suddenly recover his ability to speak and whether doctors can recreate that response for others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LINDA HERBERT, WIFE: As you can imagine for us, to speak to and to be recognized by my husband, their father, after 9 1/2 years, was completely overwhelming.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing with their son at her side, Linda Herbert described her husband's awakening. It had been almost a decade since she heard a full sentence uttered from his lips. When he awoke, he thought it had only been three months.
HERBERT: He was very surprised to find out it was 9 1/2 years.
GUPTA: What was surprising to his family is baffling to the medical community.
DR. DANIEL BARROW, NEUROSURGEON CHIEF, EMORY UNIVERSITY: The environment within which those brain cells that were dysfunctioning live must have changed in some way. They're living, but they're not functioning.
GUPTA: Revitalizing cells, making an injured brain function. What could possibly cause such a change? Dr. Jamil Ahmed, who has treated Herbert for more than two years, thinks he may have the answer.
DR. JAMIL AHMED, HERBERT'S PHYSICIAN: About three months ago, I changed his whole set of medications and there were, like, different type of the three medications we started, which work in a different way to the brain.
GUPTA: To be sure, the brain is a complex organ with different parts controlling speech, motor skill and memory. And there are neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norpinephrine and serotonin. All these help impulses get to neural receptors.
Proper balances are essential to healthy functioning of the brain. In recent years, doctors have learned to manipulate these neurotransmitters with medications, like SSRIs.
DR. EILEEN REILLY, HERBERT'S PHYSICIAN: It's new for me to see these medicines being used. I've, you know, used these kinds of medications for ADHD and, you know, Parkinson's and depression. I've seen them used very commonly in those settings. I am in the medical field and I understand how these medicines work, but I've just never seen anything like this.
GUPTA: She's not alone. There have been no long-term studies showing this sort of treatment has worked in anyone besides Herbert.
Still, whether it was the medication or just his time to start speaking, his family is just thankful that he's talking. But they're also realistic.
HERBERT: Don has made some advances, but there is still a long way to go.
GUPTA: Dr. Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...
SANCHEZ: I'm figuring they already got the other suspect. I'm going to see how long I can stay on the run before they find me.
PHILLIPS: CNN's own Rick Sanchez on the run with a bloodhound on his trail. We'll take you inside a manhunt.
Later on LIVE FROM, would killed Emmett Till? His death 50 years ago galvanized the civil rights movement. Now investigators plan to dig up his remains. A forensic anthropologist tells us what they're looking for.
Also coming up on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I swear, by God as my witness I did not know that marijuana was in my bag.
PHILLIPS: International legal battle. A surfing holiday turns into a nightmare for an Australian woman who could now face the death penalty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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PHILLIPS: News across America now. She brought down the House and the Senate at the annual correspondents dinner this year. Now move over, Charlie Callas. "The New York Daily News" reports Laura Bush has been offered an honorary membership at New York's legendary Friars Club. Will the roastess with the mostest go pro? Well, the first lady's press secretary reportedly says she'll take the invite under advisement.
Speaking of roasting, Bruce Springsteen apparently making ears burn over at Starbucks. "Newsweek" magazine reports that the coffee chain had planned to sell the boss's latest album, "Devils and Dust" in its stores, until they heard the track "Reno," which details a married man's encounter with a prostitute. Steamier than a cafe latte, if you know what I mean.
O'BRIEN: Well, when you think of Costco, Sam's Club, all those warehouse places, you think of big stuff, right, lifetime supply of toilet paper, that kind of stuff.
Susan Lisovicz, a few years bag Sandy and I bought this big vat of soy sauce. It was 10 years ago. We still have it. How long does soy sauce last for gosh sake?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it does have an expiration date. If you keep it in the refrigerator. O'BRIEN: But diamonds?
LISOVICZ: That's right.
O'BRIEN: What's up with this?
LISOVICZ: You can bulk up on diamonds, too, Miles. Move over Tiffany's. Here comes Costco.
The leading wholesale club operator surprised customers earlier this year by offering its most expensive item ever, a 10 karat yellow diamond ring for $180,000. That's actually about $84,000 below the ring's estimated value, according to the International Gemological Institute.
Then Sam's Club, the rival, turned up the heat by offering two deals of its own. A 4 karat pink diamond pendant set in platinum, priced at $560,000. And if you want something even bigger, a huge 27 karat yellow diamond ring, also set in platinum, at the bargain price of $610,000.
Both items are available for sale starting Friday, just in time for Mother's Day. It's luxury at a discount. Far more precious, perhaps, than that soy sauce -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: As Sandy always says to me, you've got to spend money to save money. So there you go. Six hundred ten thousand? But it's a deal, right?
LISOVICZ: I suppose.
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Aired May 5, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Sexual predator on the loose. Police in Florida say they're looking for this man after he took off his tracking device and vanished. We're live on the story.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Case solved. More than four years after her headless body was found, police say they now know Precious Doe's real name and who killed her.
O'BRIEN: New York explosions. Right now, surveillance video may be the key to figuring out who planted some bombs outside the building housing the British consulate.
PHILLIPS: And is the runaway bride ready to kiss and make up with the city that spent days searching for her?
From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm sorry, Kyra, I'm Miles O'Brien. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
PHILLIPS: Reconcilable differences? CNN has learned that a deal may be in the works for Jennifer Wilbanks to repay the city of Duluth, Georgia, for the time and effort spent looking for her days before her ill-fated wedding.
CNN's Carol Lin is in Wilbanks' hometown of Gainesville. Carol, what do we know?
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I talked with the mayor of Duluth a short time ago. And she said the cost, between $40,000 and $60,000 to search for Jennifer Wilbanks. But she is willing to consider a deal of maybe some financial restitution, but some of it in community service.
When I said to Mayor Shirley Lasseter, "Well what do you mean by that, because folks calling into talk radio are saying they'd like to see this woman picking up trash by the side of the highway."
She said no, no, no. No such thing. Of course, that would be inappropriate, but something that would tap into this young woman's talents, maybe some of her medical background, some of her nursing knowledge. One idea that she floated was maybe that she could man a blood pressure station at a county fair and work with some elderly people, something of that sort.
But she said that she would be willing to consider something other than a full monetary payment to reimburse the city, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Carol Lin, thank you so much.
And of course, we'll be waiting for a news conference from the runaway bride. Evidently, a statement. We're going to hear from the family pastor and also Wilbanks' attorney, Lydia Sartain. We'll take that live as soon as it happens.
O'BRIEN: Four years and one week after her brutalized body was found in Kansas City, Missouri, Precious Doe has a name. More precisely, Kansas City police know the rightful name of the tiny victim whose case they never stopped working on, a case they believe is now solved, with the arrest of the young girl's mother.
Here's CNN's Drew Griffin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The announcement was made late this morning this morning here in Kansas City, Missouri, after four long years. The people of Kansas City now know the name of the girl that they adopted as Precious Doe.
Her name is Erica Green. And her mother, Michelle Johnson, has been arrested by Kansas City police in Oklahoma, confessing to this horrific crime. The mother telling police that she and her husband, her then husband, decapitated this child after the husband had kicked the child and it was unresponsive for two days. They disposed of the body, putting her head in one spot, her body in a Dumpster.
It was finally a tip that came in from a newspaper ad, placed by an activist in Kansas City who just would not let this case die, a member of the Precious Doe committee. That tip, called into police just this week, led to the arrest in Oklahoma and a resolution in a four-long year case that has plagued Kansas City.
In Kansas City, Drew Griffin, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: On the loose with nothing, supposedly, to lose. Police across Florida are looking for a convicted sexual predator who allegedly cut off his probationary tracking device and make tracks.
We get the latest from CNN's John Zarrella. He's in Miami -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, they're looking not just for one on the east coast of Florida here now, but also a second sexual offender, we are told.
Now, Palm Beach County police are looking for a man they believe to be a threat. His name is Patrick Wayne Bell. He is 39 years old. Now, Bell is a registered sexual predator. He spent six years in prison for crimes against children. He was only released a month ago. On May 3, he went to his mother's home in Riviera Beach, where he cut off the ankle bracelet, which is also a GPS monitoring device. At that point, he fled.
Now, police say that Bell who, again, got out of prison about a month ago, couldn't live with his mother, because his mother lives within 1,000 feet of a day care center. And the two motels that he had been staying at both kicked him out, after they found out who he was.
Now police say if you know anything about his whereabouts, to call this number. The number is 1-800-458-TIPS. That's 1-800-458- TIPS.
Now, the crimes that he committed, sexual battery and lewd and lascivious conduct against children, one under 16 and one under 12 years old.
Now, a little further up the east coast, in St. Lucie County, police are looking for Jimmy James Felder. He's 39 -- 37 years old. He is a registered sexual offender, not a sexual predator. But he also cut off his ankle bracelet.
He was released just this past Saturday, cut off his ankle bracelet on Monday and threw it in a canal. So they are looking for this man as well.
Now, it's interesting and it begs a couple of questions, Kyra. One, how come it's so easy for these guys to cut these ankle bracelets off? And also, the other point is, perhaps with all of the attention that sex offenders have been getting in the wake of the killings of young children here in Florida, that perhaps more and more of them are just running scared -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now, John, are these two separate instances? Do these men know each other or it just happens that both of them at the same time did the same thing?
ZARRELLA: Just both of them it happens at the same time, one in Palm Beach County, one a little further north in St. Lucie County.
Now remember, there are, according to recent studies, some 1,800 sexual offenders in Florida who have absconded, which means nobody knows where they are. And sexual offenders overall in the state of Florida, 33,990.
So it's not necessarily unusual to see these people absconding. Again, 1,800, that apparently no one knows where they are -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: The system's got to chance. John Zarrella, thank you.
O'BRIEN: They're described as novelty-type grenades, but no one's laughing at the scene of this morning's explosions outside a high-rise in midtown Manhattan. No one's wounded either. Damage minimal. Police have no idea who planted the devices, though the Associated Press is reporting a Dutch employee of the U.N. is being questioned.
CNN's Jason Carroll joining us now with the latest -- Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we can tell you is the police are telling us that they are questioning a man who was seen loitering in the area. He has been questioned for the past few hours or so. But at this point, they are still saying they have no one who is claiming responsibility for what happened out here.
And so let's review what happened. It was very early this morning. There was an explosion. Some people said they actually heard two explosions.
When investigators got out here at the scene, what they found was two improvised explosive devices. They were described as being relatively unsophisticated. We're told they look like novelty or toy grenades that were loaded with black powder and a fuse. They were hidden in a concrete planter in front of the building.
One man who was staying in a hotel across the street described what he heard early this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY LAUREN, WITNESS: It was so loud that it woke me up out of a sound sleep, and my first thought was it was an explosion in the street.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Again, that explosion took place outside a building where the British consulate is housed. There are several other offices in the building, as well. Elections took place in the U.K. today. Even so, New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg, says you can't draw any conclusions from that, based on what they know so far.
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MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: We, at this point have absolutely no knowledge of what the motive was. We did not receive any phone calls. It is true the British consulate is in that building, but I don't think anybody should jump to conclusions. That's what the purpose of an investigation is. And when we learn something, we'll be happy to share it.
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CARROLL: So what's going to happen next? Well, investigators are going to be checking out the security cameras that were located at the building as well as some of the security cameras that are located in some of the neighboring building, as well. Perhaps they'll be able to get more information from that. The mayor says that there were no threats or phone calls made prior to this incident. And he says there have been no threats or phone calls made since it happened -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Jason, what about other tenants in that building? Could they have been the target?
CARROLL: It's quite possible. There are other companies in that building. Caterpillar is one. The Weather Channel is another one that's in there, as well.
This is part of the reason why, you know, investigators who are out here at this point are saying it's too early to draw any conclusions about the British consulate and the possible connection to the explosions.
O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll in Manhattan, thank you very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: There's word from Pakistan that Abu Faraj al-Libbi, the terror suspect described as al Qaeda's third in command, is talking to investigators, who in turn are briefing U.S. intelligence.
Al-Libbi was captured Monday in a Pakistani town near the Afghan border, pretty much where Osama bin Laden is still presumed to be holed up with, or near, his top lieutenant, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
A U.S. official tells CNN that al-Libbi directed bin Laden's global operations, including attack planning against the U.S.
CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security, so stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
O'BRIEN: What's the best way to keep nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists? A new report says the world need to watch Russia very closely. We'll find out why in our conversation with terror expert Jim Walsh. That's coming up.
Also ahead...
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What I'm going to do now is try and separate myself from the other suspect, figuring by separating the sets, the dogs that are chasing us will get confused, and they won't be able to find me.
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O'BRIEN: What we have here is a failure to communicate. Cool Hand Rick, the bloodhounds, hot on the trail of CNN's Rick Sanchez. He takes us inside a fugitive manhunt. You won't want to miss it.
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PHILLIPS: More now on keeping nuclear weapons and materials out of the hands of terrorists and hostile nations. How are we doing so far? What more needs to be done?
WMD expert Jim Walsh joins us to talk about a new report card out from Harvard. He actually does this every year.
Good to see you, Jim.
JIM WALSH, WMD EXPERT, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good to see you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. The title of your report, and I've read it, it's "Calling for Fast Paced Global Effort to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism." This report card against other report cards, is it getting better? Is it getting worse? Where do we stand?
WALSH: Well, I think there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is we are making incremental progress. And on the budget issues, we're spending a little bit more money.
But, you know, if you're in a 100-yard dash and you're jogging, you're making finish towards -- you're making progress towards the finish line, but you're not going to win the race. And I think the bottom line from our report is, yes, we're making progress. That's great. But we're not moving nearly fast enough.
We're probably not going to reach our goal of having all this material secured by 2008. It may take as much as 10 years to do this project right. And do we have 10 years to let that material be vulnerable, open to theft by a terrorist? My answer is no.
So I think we have to work a lot harder. We're doing better, but we've got a lot of work to do.
PHILLIPS: All right. When we talk about the material, of course, we're talking about highly enriched plutonium and uranium. Right now, your biggest fear is what country?
WALSH: Well, Russia is the country where we have the most material. You know, during the Cold War, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union built up these huge stockpiles. And what we're doing today is we're facing that terrible legacy from before.
So in the Soviet Union, there's something like 600 tons of nuclear material -- tons of nuclear material. Only about half of which is really secure. So that's job No. 1.
But also in about -- in dozens of countries there are little research reactors that use the highly enriched uranium, and we're concerned about that. We want to make sure that every kilogram, every gram, every ounce of nuclear bomb material, is as secure as the gold in Ft. Knox so that terrorists cannot get access to it.
PHILLIPS: And I've asked you about this and these materials. Do they have to exist? And you say trash to some, treasure to others. The United States sees it as waste, no, we don't need it, yet Russia says this is an asset.
WALSH: That's exactly right, particularly with respect to plutonium. In the U.S., we consider plutonium really a waste, something to be buried and disposed of. The Russians have viewed this a little differently. They think of it as an energy asset that they can maybe make some money off of.
But the broader picture is this, that really, at the end of the day, there is no good commercial use for highly enriched uranium and for plutonium.
And so we should really be working on two tracks. We should be sure that we're securing all that already exists, hopefully burying it and getting rid of it, and we shouldn't be producing more of it. You know, the world's nations continue to produce this stuff, and there's really no need for it. So I think both approaches need to work in tandem.
PHILLIPS: Do we know if terrorists have, indeed, infiltrated these materials and these stockpiles, to this point? Do we know that?
WALSH: We cannot confirm. And in fact, the intelligence community has testified before Congress that they can't -- that they know of no cases where a terrorist has acquired the material, but they cannot provide the assurance that it hasn't happened. So we really don't know.
Now, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, keeps a database of nuclear smuggling incidents. So we do know that people have tried to smuggle various materials, some of them nuclear materials, some of them just radioactive junk. And we know that people have been approached about that, about selling or buying it. But we don't have any direct cases of a terrorist buying that material.
But, you know, it's like a ticking time bomb. If you wait and you wait and you wait, you wait 10 years and you don't finish the job, then eventually, something's going to happen.
PHILLIPS: Well, some of that waiting has stopped. You told me about programs going on within the Department of Energy. You've laid out suggestions in this report.
One unique part of that, you were telling me, that those within the Department of Energy, trying to employ scientists that know about these materials, know how to make nuclear bombs, are not employed -- they want to make sure they're not employed by terrorists. What's going on on that effort?
WALSH: Sure, there are a wide range of programs run by the Department of Energy and others. And one is this effort to employ scientists so that they don't get recruited by an al Qaeda or recruited by a country to go work in their bomb program. Remember, in the old Soviet Union, most of these nuclear activities occurred in cities. They were called nuclear cities, and they sort of walled off the city, and everyone in the city worked on nuclear weapons.
And then, of course, when the Soviet Union collapsed and they really stopped producing large numbers of nuclear weapons, suddenly all these people didn't have a job anymore and weren't receiving a paycheck.
And so one of the programs, in addition to protecting the material and protecting the warheads, is to try to create some -- create some employment for these guys so they don't go off and join a bomb program somewhere else.
PHILLIPS: What about this relationship between Russia and Iran, and is that a big concern?
WALSH: Well, I think it's an issue that the U.S. and Russia continue to talk about.
Now, on the one hand, Russia does not want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. That's not in Russia's self-interest.
On the other hand, Russia has a big nuclear industry and would like to sell some power reactors to Iran to help keep its own nuclear industry afloat.
I think the critical issue here, though, is not power reactors, but it's what we've been talking about in the news. It's enrichment and reprocessing. You can have a civilian nuclear program that does not pose a bomb threat if you stay away from enrichment and reprocessing. And I think that's where our focus has to be and where Russia has to help us to make sure -- or to persuade Iran that this is not the right path.
PHILLIPS: Jim Walsh, Harvard University. And you continue to put out these reports. I know we'll talk before next year's report card, but...
WALSH: I hope so.
PHILLIPS: ... until then, thanks so much, Jim.
WALSH: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right.
O'BRIEN: Disabled fireman Don Herbert celebrates his 43rd birthday this Saturday, just a week after uttering his first words in nearly a decade. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta with more on how medication may have helped him suddenly recover his ability to speak and whether doctors can recreate that response for others.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LINDA HERBERT, WIFE: As you can imagine for us, to speak to and to be recognized by my husband, their father, after 9 1/2 years, was completely overwhelming.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing with their son at her side, Linda Herbert described her husband's awakening. It had been almost a decade since she heard a full sentence uttered from his lips. When he awoke, he thought it had only been three months.
HERBERT: He was very surprised to find out it was 9 1/2 years.
GUPTA: What was surprising to his family is baffling to the medical community.
DR. DANIEL BARROW, NEUROSURGEON CHIEF, EMORY UNIVERSITY: The environment within which those brain cells that were dysfunctioning live must have changed in some way. They're living, but they're not functioning.
GUPTA: Revitalizing cells, making an injured brain function. What could possibly cause such a change? Dr. Jamil Ahmed, who has treated Herbert for more than two years, thinks he may have the answer.
DR. JAMIL AHMED, HERBERT'S PHYSICIAN: About three months ago, I changed his whole set of medications and there were, like, different type of the three medications we started, which work in a different way to the brain.
GUPTA: To be sure, the brain is a complex organ with different parts controlling speech, motor skill and memory. And there are neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norpinephrine and serotonin. All these help impulses get to neural receptors.
Proper balances are essential to healthy functioning of the brain. In recent years, doctors have learned to manipulate these neurotransmitters with medications, like SSRIs.
DR. EILEEN REILLY, HERBERT'S PHYSICIAN: It's new for me to see these medicines being used. I've, you know, used these kinds of medications for ADHD and, you know, Parkinson's and depression. I've seen them used very commonly in those settings. I am in the medical field and I understand how these medicines work, but I've just never seen anything like this.
GUPTA: She's not alone. There have been no long-term studies showing this sort of treatment has worked in anyone besides Herbert.
Still, whether it was the medication or just his time to start speaking, his family is just thankful that he's talking. But they're also realistic.
HERBERT: Don has made some advances, but there is still a long way to go.
GUPTA: Dr. Gupta, CNN, reporting.
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PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...
SANCHEZ: I'm figuring they already got the other suspect. I'm going to see how long I can stay on the run before they find me.
PHILLIPS: CNN's own Rick Sanchez on the run with a bloodhound on his trail. We'll take you inside a manhunt.
Later on LIVE FROM, would killed Emmett Till? His death 50 years ago galvanized the civil rights movement. Now investigators plan to dig up his remains. A forensic anthropologist tells us what they're looking for.
Also coming up on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I swear, by God as my witness I did not know that marijuana was in my bag.
PHILLIPS: International legal battle. A surfing holiday turns into a nightmare for an Australian woman who could now face the death penalty.
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PHILLIPS: News across America now. She brought down the House and the Senate at the annual correspondents dinner this year. Now move over, Charlie Callas. "The New York Daily News" reports Laura Bush has been offered an honorary membership at New York's legendary Friars Club. Will the roastess with the mostest go pro? Well, the first lady's press secretary reportedly says she'll take the invite under advisement.
Speaking of roasting, Bruce Springsteen apparently making ears burn over at Starbucks. "Newsweek" magazine reports that the coffee chain had planned to sell the boss's latest album, "Devils and Dust" in its stores, until they heard the track "Reno," which details a married man's encounter with a prostitute. Steamier than a cafe latte, if you know what I mean.
O'BRIEN: Well, when you think of Costco, Sam's Club, all those warehouse places, you think of big stuff, right, lifetime supply of toilet paper, that kind of stuff.
Susan Lisovicz, a few years bag Sandy and I bought this big vat of soy sauce. It was 10 years ago. We still have it. How long does soy sauce last for gosh sake?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it does have an expiration date. If you keep it in the refrigerator. O'BRIEN: But diamonds?
LISOVICZ: That's right.
O'BRIEN: What's up with this?
LISOVICZ: You can bulk up on diamonds, too, Miles. Move over Tiffany's. Here comes Costco.
The leading wholesale club operator surprised customers earlier this year by offering its most expensive item ever, a 10 karat yellow diamond ring for $180,000. That's actually about $84,000 below the ring's estimated value, according to the International Gemological Institute.
Then Sam's Club, the rival, turned up the heat by offering two deals of its own. A 4 karat pink diamond pendant set in platinum, priced at $560,000. And if you want something even bigger, a huge 27 karat yellow diamond ring, also set in platinum, at the bargain price of $610,000.
Both items are available for sale starting Friday, just in time for Mother's Day. It's luxury at a discount. Far more precious, perhaps, than that soy sauce -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: As Sandy always says to me, you've got to spend money to save money. So there you go. Six hundred ten thousand? But it's a deal, right?
LISOVICZ: I suppose.
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