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Deadly Tornado Strikes Indiana; Maryland School in Lockdown as Police Search for Gunman; Escaped Death Row Inmate Captured; Supreme Court to Hear Guantanamo Case; Boats Ablaze in Long Island Marine

Aired November 07, 2005 - 13:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY LOCKHART, TORNADO SURVIVOR: Sounded like hail hitting the window. Then all of a sudden the whole house just exploded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, HOST: Killer tornado strikes the heartland. The search is now on for more victims. We're live from Indiana.

And is your minivan tough enough? We've got the new crash test results.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

First up, a new development in the search for the missing after a deadly tornado. Another victim has been found on the south side of Evansville, Indiana. That's where the tornado took aim in the early hours of Sunday morning, the deadliest to hit Indiana in 31 years. It was on the ground for about 45 minutes, obliterating a trailer park.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is there.

Ed, is the search for survivors still on?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Betty. In fact, the latest casualty that you're talking about, we've been talking about this morning, is that there is a lake just back over here off my right shoulder on the other edge of this mobile home park, and authorities had been worried about this particular lake, because there's a lot of debris from the homes. Everything's swirling around.

And there was one home in particular that was upside down. You could see the wheels coming out from the surface of the water. So that led them to worry that, you know, perhaps there might be people in there. And indeed, that is what they have discovered just a short while ago. The 18th victim from this mobile home park discovered in the lake.

They have just begun draining that. So it'll be several more hours before the water from that lake is completely out of there so they can make sure that there's nobody else.

They had been hopeful that perhaps, you know, they wouldn't find anything, but they wanted to double check, and this is exactly why they have done this.

And just a short while ago we walked with the sheriff of this area down there, about 300 yards away from where we're standing right now. And he gave us kind of a survey of what it was like there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF BRAD ELLSWORTH, VANDERBURGH COUNTY: See, we've got the wheels sticking up on what looks like a mobile home frame out there. A lot of -- I'm not sure exactly where they'll cut it and run it out.

LAVANDERA: How do you empty something like this?

ELLSWORTH: Well, they're going to -- they'll take the low spot and take one of these pieces of equipment and just dig out and let it drain. They said it's probably only about six -- five to six feet deep. So...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: So they will continue to do that. The water level's just now beginning to go down, as we had been talking about. And, of course, the hope is that this will not happen again.

We've heard so many incredible stories from people who did survive here in this particular mobile home park. Essentially, you know, the sheriff also mentioning that if this storm or this tornado had hit just another 200 yards to the south, that we wouldn't have been in this situation. There's a big huge, wide open corn field and soybean field just below this mobile home park, but it hit just on the southern edge of it, destroying many homes and lives apparently -- Betty.

NGUYEN: No doubt. Ed Lavandera, thank you for that.

Now, the twister struck at 2 a.m., when most people were asleep. One resident caught off guard said at first he thought it was a bad dream but then quickly realized it was all too real.

Others woke up to trees snapping in two, cars being tossed about, and homes collapsing. This is what one survivor told our Miles O'Brien on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOCKHART: Well, when I woke up, the -- sounded like hail hitting the window and all of a sudden the whole house just exploded. And then I was spun around a couple times and the roof and all the debris come in on top of me and took me about a half an hour to dig myself out. I finally got out of it.

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": So -- I'm sorry. So you awakened to the hail hitting the windows. You didn't hear anything before? No sirens, no thunder, no nothing?

LOCKHART: Oh, no, I live out in a rural community. There was no -- nothing. I woke up when the house was exploding, actually.

O'BRIEN: What...

LOCKHART: And all the house come in.

O'BRIEN: What was your thought...

LOCKHART: The house come in on top of me.

O'BRIEN: The house came in on top of you. What was your thought at that time?

LOCKHART: Living.

O'BRIEN: Hmm.

LOCKHART: Just staying alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And he is, indeed, a lucky man.

There is no word yet on just how powerful this deadly tornado was. Our meteorologist, Chad Myers, is just one of those who is studying the video.

Chad, looking at it and the devastation, what do you think?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it's almost impossible to tell how big a tornado was in a mobile home park, because an 80- mile-per-hour wind will tear apart a mobile home. And if you get 120 or 140 or 160, the damage kind of all looks the same.

But when you look at the trees in this area, right along the Ohio River -- there's Evansville -- the storm cut a path right across the river. In fact, the storm went across the river twice. It started in Kentucky and then it actually came across Evansville in Indiana and then through and then back up through this little racetrack. We talked about the horse racetrack here.

We can zoom in a little bit here for you. There's the Ohio River. This is actually Kentucky. I know you're thinking to yourself, wait, it's north of the river, that's Indiana. No, it isn't, because the river used to be here. So this is Kentucky, even though it's north of the river.

There goes the tornado across the racetrack, and then right through the mobile home park there, south of Evansville. And it continued for another 35 miles. The reason why we don't know how big it is, whether it's an F-3 or F-4 -- could be a 2, but I'm certain it's at least a 3, is because another team is out there from St. Louis looking at the damage now. They want to reassess what has already been assessed. We'll hopefully get something later on this afternoon.

NGUYEN: All right, Chad, we'll be checking in. And we do want to tell with you about a developing story right now. Here are some live pictures. There's a lockdown in Prince Georges County, Maryland. We have on the phone with us Lieutenant Terence Sheppard with the Prince Georges County Police Department.

First of all, tell me what sparked this lockdown.

LT. TERENCE SHEPPARD, PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: Right now the school is locked down. At about 11:13 this morning an officer was on routine patrol when he spotted a masked subject carrying a long gun. When the officer turned around to confront the subject, the subject ran towards the school and tried to open up the school door. The school was locked, and the -- the subject ran into a wooded area.

Right now the Prince Georges County Police Department in conjunction with sheriff's deputies are searching a wooded area adjacent to the school.

NGUYEN: All right. Let me make sure I got this right. Did you say a masked person?

SHEPPARD: That's correct. He was wearing a black mask and a black jacket, and he was armed with a long gun.

NGUYEN: And you don't have any idea at this point why he was walking around the school?

SHEPPARD: No. Not at this time. As I said before, an officer was on routine patrol, and he was just patrolling the area when he saw the subject.

NGUYEN: And as for the children in the school, this is a lockdown. Where are they?

SHEPPARD: Right now the children are locked down inside the school. They are safe. So they're -- you know, they're safe inside the school at this particular time.

NGUYEN: OK. And the search in this wooded area, set the scene for us. What kind of area is this?

SHEPPARD: Right now we're searching about a two-square-mile area adjacent to the school.

NGUYEN: Is it a residential area? Is it -- what's nearby? Besides the school.

SHEPPARD: There are some homes nearby as well as a thickly wooded area.

NGUYEN: Are there any suspects that -- that you guys have been told to be on the lookout for? Could this be one of those?

SHEPPARD: No, we don't have any information at this time in regards to that. NGUYEN: Who all's involved in this search?

SHEPPARD: Right now we have about 80 officers involved in this search. We have Prince Georges County police officers as well as our special operations division, and some sheriff's deputies are also involved in the search.

NGUYEN: Besides the lockdown are you asking people in the homes nearby to stay inside? To report anyone that may be walking around? What are you telling people in that area?

SHEPPARD: Of course if anybody sees anything suspicious they should call the Prince Georges County Police Department to report that information. In addition to that, we are asking all parents who have students at Arrowhead Elementary School to respond to the location of 8711 West Fillier (ph) Road. School officials will meet them there to give them the status of what's going on with their children inside the school.

NGUYEN: OK. But at this point parents need to know that the children will remain in the lockdown and they will not be able to pick them up just as of yet.

Lieutenant Terence Sheppard, Prince Georges County Police Department, thank you for that update.

We also have another developing story. We have very little information right now, but take a look at this picture. You have crews on the scene. You see smoke in the area. There is a boat on fire in Long Island. As many as three boats, from what I understand. This is at a marina in Long Island, New York.

Not really known at this point as to what caused the fire or if there are any injuries. Like I said, the information is very sketchy at the moment. But as you can see, there are several crews on the scene, trying to put out a fire that is apparently still under way, because you can still see the smoke there.

This is in Long Island, once again, and possibly more than just one boat involved. Looking like there might be three boats on fire.

Not known, though, as to what may have set this fire, as to how far it's spread, if other boats are, indeed, in danger. And we're panning off to take a look at it. Look at those flames there. This is definitely an area that is fully engulfed.

You have crews on the scene trying to put out this raging fire. It's really almost hard to make out exactly what that is: the remains of a boat, maybe a dock. We're not exactly sure.

This information is still just coming in to CNN right now. But a fire well under way in Long Island, New York. Possibly three boats involved. We're going to stay on top of this and bring you the latest just as soon as we know it.

In other news, a convicted killer back behind bars after a brief flirtation with freedom has just waived extradition. That means Charles Victor Thompson is headed back to Houston once the paperwork is complete.

Now, he was recaptured at a state away from where he was -- where he had escaped, and our Keith Oppenheim is in Houston, Texas, where authorities still have many questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force is the agency that has been looking for Charles Victor Thompson, and on Sunday night they started to get a number of tips that he might be in the Shreveport area.

Sure enough, officers found him in front of a liquor store in Shreveport. He was using a pay phone out in the open. He was intoxicated, officers say, and there was a bicycle next to him, which police say he was using for transportation.

When confronted, he said, "You know who I am," and he was relatively cooperative when he was arrested. Thompson was then taken to the Cato Parish Jail in Shreveport. And the clear expectation is he will be brought back to Houston sometime in the near future.

Still some major questions unanswered. One is, did he get any help in his escape? And the other is just how did he get from Houston to Shreveport, some 200 miles away?

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Now, from the moment Thompson walked out of jail Thursday wearing civilian clothes and carrying a fake I.D. badge, U.S. marshals were hot on his trail.

On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" Miles O'Brien spoke with one of the deputy marshals involved in the capture.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Just how drunk was he?

MICKEY RELLIN, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL: Well, I imagine he was a little bit more drunk before we got there, because we kind of put a little scare in him on our approach.

O'BRIEN: Sobered up a little bit when he saw you?

RELLIN: Just very little, yes.

O'BRIEN: Well, the U.S. marshals would have a way of doing this. And I don't want to make light of this. This is a man who is on Death Row in Texas.

RELLIN: Yes, he was. O'BRIEN: And -- but there is an odd twist to this, that someone as obviously clever as this, criminally clever, to worm his way out of that jail in Houston, would ultimately be caught this way. Does that surprise you?

RELLIN: No, not at all. That's -- that's who they are. They just sometimes let their guard down, and we never give up.

O'BRIEN: And you never give up. That's an important thing. He had to have some help, don't you think? I know he didn't ride his bike 200 miles. How...

RELLIN: Well, that's...

O'BRIEN: How did he get to where he is? Do you have anything that can help us piece together the story here?

RELLIN: Not as of yet. We're still conducting that investigation.

O'BRIEN: All right. Mickey Rellin, congratulations, good arrest. Pull back there, and we'll show the team one more time, because they deserve a little bit of credit.

RELLIN: There they are.

O'BRIEN: You and the team. There you go. They're pulled back. There they are. Everybody safe and sound. And we're glad he's back behind bars, and we hope that in Shreveport and wherever he ends up, they're watching him closely. Mickey Rellin of the U.S. marshal's office. Good job.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And you don't want to go away, because we are following many developing stories, including a lockdown in Prince Georges County. As you can see, a search is under way for a masked man holding a gun. He was spotted near a school there. Dogs are on the scene trying to find this man. We'll give you the latest on that.

Plus, another developing story. Something that's raging at the moment. A fire in Long Island, New York. Look at these pictures. Crews are on the scene, trying to put out this fire. As many as three boats may be involved. We're going to talk about injuries and possibly what started it coming up. Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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NGUYEN: That boat fire still under way, raging in Long Island, New York. We're keeping a watch on it, trying to determine exactly what caused it and if there are any injuries right now. We understand about three boats are involved. We'll get you the latest on that. Plus, we're still following that lockdown in Prince Georges County, Maryland. A school is locked down after a masked man carrying a gun was found roaming near the grounds. That search is under way now in a wooded area next to the school. We'll give you the latest on that.

And take a look at this. Live pictures now from the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his British counterpart are meeting. We are going to monitor that meeting and give you the latest when it becomes available to us.

But this is what the president had to say a little bit earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are finding terrorists and bringing them to justice. We are gathering information about where the terrorists may be hiding. We are trying to disrupt their plots and plans. Anything we do to that effort, to that end, in this effort, any activity we conduct is within the law. We do not torture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: President Bush in Panama today, insisting the U.S. pursuit and treatment of terror suspects is not illegal. The president's been in South and Central America since Thursday, pushing freer trade and meeting a lot of resistance there. He and the first lady return to Washington tonight.

Well, he knows Osama bin Laden personally. He's a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. And word today that he will have his case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. It is a major test for the government's controversial approach to terror suspects.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena is in Washington.

Kelli, what's the latest on this?

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case brought by Salim Ahmed Hamdan. As you mentioned, he used to be Osama bin Laden's driver. Now, this is a very important development, because the case directly challenges the president's wartime powers.

The Bush administration has consistently argued that it has the power to detain and prosecute suspected terrorists that they're holding overseas. And you may remember that President Bush set up special military commissions just after the September 11 attacks.

Now, after some preliminary work, those tribunals were for the most part halted. And this case will determine how they will move forward, how they'll be conducted, what rights detainees have.

Hamdan's attorneys have argued that those tribunals are unconstitutional. And Hamdan also denies that he has any terror links.

Now, the case is also interesting because Chief Justice John Roberts refused to get involved in the decision to take the case today. That's because he ruled on it when he was an appeals court judge, and he sided with the government. If he refuses to take part in the oral arguments, it could result in a 4-4 tie, which basically means that Hamdan would lose, because the lower court ruling would stand.

Now, we expect that this case will be argued sometime early next year, maybe late February, early March, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Kelli Arena. Kelli, thank you for that.

ARENA: You're welcome.

NGUYEN: Let's get back to that boat fire in Long Island, New York. We have on the phone with us Joe Weiser. He is the owner of Glen Cove Marina, where this is taking place.

Joe, tell me what started this fire. Do you know?

JOE WEISER, OWNER, GLEN COVE MARINE: We're not 100 percent sure yet, but it seems that one of the customers saw somebody working on a boat that was dry-docked, that's docked on a boat for winter storage. It seems as though -- seems as though he was stripping some paint or something. We're not 100 percent sure how it started. But that's what we think.

NGUYEN: OK. So it may have been sparked by maintenance on one of the boats. How many boats are on fire right now?

WEISER: Right now there's four involved.

NGUYEN: Four. And is it that these fires are just jumping from boat to boat? How have crews been able to stop that?

WEISER: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you said.

NGUYEN: Is it that these fires are jumping from boat to boat? What are crews doing to stop further boats from getting on fire?

WEISER: Well, they're (UNINTELLIGIBLE) trying to prevent that from happening now.

NGUYEN: I'm going to ask you to repeat that, Joe, because we had a hard time hearing you due to the wind noise.

WEISER: I said the Glen Cove -- the Glen Cove Fire Department is trying to prevent that right now, but it already has jumped to three boats.

NGUYEN: Do you know if there are any injuries in this fire?

WEISER: We don't know yet.

NGUYEN: OK. Now, we were looking at some video earlier. It's really hard to tell exactly what is left there. Is part of the dock on fire as well?

WEISER: We don't know. We haven't been out there. Only the police and the fire department have been out there.

NGUYEN: OK. I imagine you have several crews on the scene. How long has this fire been raging?

WEISER: For the past 45 minutes.

NGUYEN: And who was it that notified them? Was it just someone nearby them that...?

WEISER: One of our customers came in.

NGUYEN: I see. And give us some perspective. Exactly where is this marina in Long Island?

WEISER: It's in Glen Cove, New York.

NGUYEN: OK. And obviously, crews are on the scene. It looks like the fire is starting to get a little bit more under control than what we saw a little bit earlier.

Joe Weiser, we appreciate your information.

He's the owner of the Glen Cove Marina that you see right there. And we're going to stay on top of this story and bring you the latest. At this point we don't know of any known injuries just yet.

In other news, drug experts call methamphetamine a national epidemic. One family knows the pain of addiction all too well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll feel good the first time you try it, but then you're hooked.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She stabbed my dad I think four or five times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The personal battle against meth and the national fight to keep the dangerous drug off the streets. That's later on LIVE FROM.

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