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Camp Pendleton Scandal; Keeping America's Children Safe From Sexual Predators

Aired June 07, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Alleged atrocities in Iraq, unarmed civilians, women and children among them, shot dead in their homes. Witnesses say the bullets were fired by U.S. Marines. The Corps' top officer says that he will get to the bottom of it.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, Marine Commandant General Michael Hagee says he is greatly concerned about the accusations.

He would not talk specifically about details of the two investigations, but he did confirm that, when it comes to the Haditha investigation, in which, back in November, some 24 Iraqi civilians were killed, that there are photos of that scene. The general said he had seen those photos himself.

The general also wouldn't comment about the shooting of an Iraqi man in April by Marines in the town of Hamandiyah. Again, these investigations, he says, are still ongoing, and he doesn't want to do anything to jeopardize them.

The general said the Marines are fully committed to supporting both investigations, making sure that the resources are provided to make sure that the investigations are thorough and that the rights of everyone involved, including the Marines accused, are protected.

The general is fresh back from a week in Iraq where he talked to Marines there about the rules, about the regulations, about Marine values. And he was asked just what impact this is having on the morale of the Marines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL MICHAEL HAGEE, COMMANDANT, U.S. MARINE CORPS: In the last -- in the last week, last week, I talked with probably, I don't know, 20,000 Marines.

And I tell you what, I was inspired when I talked with them. They are focussed on what they're doing. They are making a difference. They are very proud of what they're doing. And I can tell you, their families are very proud of what they're doing. Are they concerned? Yes. But they know that we are going to do -- we are going to complete those investigations.

And if any individual has been found to have violated our standards, rules or regulations, they will be held accountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: The general was asked whether, given the gravity of these accusations, he should resign as an acknowledgement of the failure of leadership here. And he says, no, he serves at the pleasure of the president. And, right now, he's not submitting his resignation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Kathleen Koch, thank you so much.

We want to take live pictures right now of the swearing-in of the new interior secretary, this coming to us live, obviously, from the White House, President Bush at the helm there.

Gale Norton, as you know, was previously in that position. Now the president is about to swear in Dirk Kempthorne as interior secretary. He was the governor of Idaho. He had been working closely with Gale Norton on a number of issues. And now he will officially be sworn in.

Now, the Department of Interior is responsible for managing all of our national parks, our public lands, conserving our natural resources, and pursuing environmentally responsible programs, like energy development on federal lands and waters.

He will succeed, obviously, Gale Norton, and be sworn in momentarily.

Back to the military investigations -- how should service members accused of wartime atrocities be treated? Key word, accused -- the incidents in Haditha and Hamandiyah are under investigation, with no formal charges filed. But one sailor's lawyer believes the Pentagon has already made up its mind.

More now from CNN's Ted Rowlands.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMIAH SULLIVAN III, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: On behalf of my client...

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A lawyer representing one of eight men being held at the military jail at Camp Pendleton is blasting the Marine Corps for the way he says his client is being treated.

Jeremiah Sullivan represents a 20-year-old Navy sailor who is expected to be charged in connection with the death of an Iraqi man in the town of Hamandiyah. At a news conference in San Diego, Sullivan said his client is in solitary confinement. He also accused the Marine Corps of using threats of a death penalty during interrogations.

SULLIVAN: There are certain known terrorists who are being housed in military facilities around the world who enjoy a substantial more amount of freedom than our -- than our Marines and my sailor. It is -- it's cruel and unusual, and it's unnecessary.

ROWLANDS: Sullivan says, despite the treatment of his client and the seven Marines in jail, and the negative stories in the press, support is coming in from across the country.

SULLIVAN: My office phone has absolutely been inundated with telephone calls from many fine Americans, from people, organizations, companies, offering support.

ROWLANDS: Support is also widespread for the Marines under the investigation in the completely separate incident that happened in November in the Iraqi town of Haditha.

A yellow ribbon on the front gate marks the California home of Marine Captain Lucas McConnell, who was relieved of his duty, the Marines say, because of a failure of leadership. That came after allegations of a massacre in the town of Haditha.

Captain McConnell, who lives here with his wife and son, isn't talking publicly about the incident or the ongoing investigation. But his friend and neighbor Jim Gatacre echoes the opinion of many people we talked to in this area, that McConnell and the other Marines caught up in the two investigations should be supported, not interrogated.

JIM GATACRE, FRIEND OF CAPTAIN LUCAS MCCONNELL: Take care of it. Take care of what -- what we need to take care of, not accuse them of being murderers. Even if something like that did happen, obviously, it's a -- it's a psychological break. It's like a psychotic break that somebody goes through. They should be treated, not in prison.

ROWLANDS (on camera): As for McConnell, the Marines say the decision to relieve him of his duty was made independent of the ongoing investigation into what happened in Haditha.

The Marines also issued a very lengthy statement in response to the allegations that service members are being mistreated here at Camp Pendleton. The e-mail says that, because of the preliminary findings, these service members are being kept in maximum security situations, meaning that they're in solitary confinement, and, whenever they leave their cells, they must be shackled.

Ted Rowlands, CNN at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Packing up and waiting for orders to move out -- CNN has learned a U.S. Army brigade based in Germany has been cleared to move its equipment into Kuwait, the staging area for Iraq.

Last month, the 3,500 soldiers were told their deployment was delayed while commanders recess -- or reassess the situation, rather. The troops are preparing for a one-year tour of duty.

The U.S. sees the U.N., in the view of many at the U.N., as a necessary evil, and sometimes not even necessary. Now Kofi Annan's second in command is demanding a little respect, and not really finding it.

Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, is here with more.

What's the deal, Richard?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the second in command at the United Nations said it was a speech for a call to arms on the benefit of the whole organization of the United Nations.

But the United States ambassador, John Bolton, is up in arms. What happened is, at a speech the other day by Mark Malloch Brown, the U.N.'s secretary-general, has got the U.S. really enraged. Mark Malloch Brown said that the Bush administration is not doing a good enough job at informing the U.S. public, including Middle America, about the good things that the United Nations is doing.

Now, John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., found it patronizing and condescending and wants Kofi Annan to take action against his own deputy for the speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO UNITED NATIONS: The only way at this point to mitigate the damage to the United Nations is that Secretary-General Kofi Annan, we think, has to personally and publicly repudiate this speech at the earliest possible opportunity, because, otherwise, I fear the consequences, not just for the reform effort, but for the organization as a whole.

I spoke to the secretary-general this morning. I said, I have known you since 1989, and I'm telling you, this is the worst mistake by a senior U.N. official that I have seen in that entire time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The reform effort Ambassador Bolton is referring to is what is at the heart of this dispute, in the most part. The U.N. is in a crisis, says Mark Malloch Brown and Secretary-General Annan. And the U.S. and major developed countries are on one side, while other countries, such as Pakistan, the developing world, are on the other side about the way forward for the U.N.

Nevertheless, Kofi Annan is standing by his deputy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESMAN: The secretary-general stands by the statements made by his -- by his deputy, Mark Malloch Brown, and he agrees with the thrust of it. So, there is no question of any action being taken against the deputy secretary-general.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: In fact, moments ago, Mark Malloch Brown told the press the -- this is a time that the truth must be spoken. What enrages, also, John Bolton, Kyra, is that, in the speech, Mark Malloch Brown said, the American people are hearing the news about the U.N. only from detractors such, as Rush Limbaugh and FOX News -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Richard, what's really behind this dispute?

ROTH: As one U.N. official has put it, it's the struggle for the control of the organization. And Mark Malloch Brown has said, this was not an anti-U.S. speech. He's really concerned about all the countries of the U.N. not working together.

He's asking for everyone to engage for the good of the organization. But Bolton does not like when a U.N. official, an international civil servant, who, in effect, is paid for by the U.S., picks on the Bush administration, even in only a portion of the speech, and certainly a portion of the American public, Middle America.

PHILLIPS: Richard Roth, thanks so much.

Straight ahead: sex offenders out of jail and into more trouble. It's a headline we repeat over and over. Well, today, the dateline is Clemson, South Carolina. We are going to speak to a mother who lost her daughter in one such case about what the laws are, or aren't, and trying to protect your children -- more LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get back to Carol Lin, continuing to work a number of developing stories for us.

What's on tap right now, Carol?

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really interesting, Kyra.

As you know by now, they have a suspect, a 35-year-old man, a convicted sex offender, now in the case of a murdered Clemson student. You're looking at video that we got in a short time ago of Jeremy (sic) Inman -- Jerry Inman, rather. And the tattoos that you saw on his neck and -- you haven't seen them yet, but on his arms may have really been the linchpin in -- in this case.

We just heard from sheriff's deputies in Fort Payne, Alabama. Now, mind you, the pictures that you're looking right now are his arraignment in South Carolina. But he is a suspect in an attempted rape out there. The reason being is that, apparently, the friend of the victim saw Jerry Inman's pictures right here on this network, on CNN, and called authorities, and said, hey, I think this is a suspect in the assault on my friend.

Judd (ph), do we have sound from the sheriff's deputy news conference that happened a short time ago?

All right. Then I will sum it up for you. So, it's really quite amazing. The DeKalb County sheriff's investigator, Rhonda Jackson, said that the friend of this 24-year-old victim saw this -- this picture of Inman on news reports on CNN. So, she said, a sheriff's investigator called Tennessee authorities with details of the case this morning.

And, according to the sheriff's investigator in Alabama, Kyra, Inman confessed to the Alabama assault. So, the case is now beginning to build. He may face charges in Alabama. He's obviously going to face charges, murder and kidnapping and rape charges, in the murder of a 20-year-old Clemson student.

PHILLIPS: Well, and as we continue to follow, you know, the live event, and then this story, you never know how many other people might see him on the air and call in as well.

LIN: That's right.

PHILLIPS: Carol, we have been talking a lot about how these men, they get out on the street, and they -- they repeat again. They -- they...

LIN: Yes.

PHILLIPS: It's unbelievable.

And that's what we're going to get into now with Erin Runnion.

Carol, thank you so much.

You know, we have been talking about, in Maine, the alleged sex offender out on bail. We told -- told you, actually, about this yesterday, well, allegedly thwarted on his way to molest a little girl. And now, as you see in Tennessee, Jerry Buck Inman, that Carol has been telling us about, a registered sex offender, arrested in the killing of the Clemson University student.

And news of possible crimes by sex offenders is hard for Erin Runnion to hear. You may remember, in 2002, Erin's 5-year-old daughter, Samantha, was snatched, attacked and murdered by a man who had been arrested and charged with child sexual abuse, but never convicted.

Erin joins me now from Orange County, California, with more on sex offender laws and why they aren't stopping more attacks.

Erin, I'm glad you're with us again today.

ERIN RUNNION, MOTHER OF KIDNAP VICTIM: Thank you for having me, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, when you see a live event right there and hear about Inman, and then you hear about this other close attack in Maine -- I mean, and this happens on a regular basis -- just knowing what happened to your daughter, is this just -- I can just imagine, it makes you extremely angry. RUNNION: It is. It's -- it's infuriating.

But, you know, thanks to you and CNN and other networks, the level of public awareness is -- is higher than it has ever been in this country. And people are beginning to realize that these aren't isolated incidents. These are symptoms of a huge problem in this country. And -- and sexual abuse of children and attacks on women are just a pervasive problem that we have got to address as a country.

PHILLIPS: And you have been a tremendous advocate now. Let's start with the men that are let out on bail. They almost always jump, don't they?

RUNNION: They do.

You know, we have over 100,000 supposedly registered sex offenders who are on the lam in the United States. And most of them get free when they're allowed on bail before their sentencing.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, it's interesting you bring up that number, because that -- we found those same numbers. And Michigan has the highest rates of missing offenders. And then California and New Jersey are right up there, right behind Michigan.

RUNNION: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And you wonder if -- if they know that they have such a high percentage of these offenders. I mean, what can we do as parents? What can lawmakers do? It just seems like we talk about this so much and -- and something has to be done. What can we do?

RUNNION: Keep talking about it, that's what we can do.

You know, that -- our legislators are just now beginning to act on these things. We just passed the Children's Act of 2005 in April of 2006. But, you know, there are all of these laws. Jessica's Law is in almost nine states now. And our legislators are listening, but it takes time and it takes public opinion. It takes those polls and people writing their congressmen and their senators and letting them know that this is a concern to them.

Plus, at the -- not only does that change laws, but it raises awareness. And they're -- judges are people, too. And juries are -- are average people just like me. And if we don't know that one in four girls and one in six to 10 boys are sexually assaulted before they're adults, then we don't know what the likelihood is in a case to convict this -- this person.

You know, we have to recognize that this is not just -- we so want to believe that Samantha's case was going to be the last, or that Danielle van Dam was going to be the last. Those are extreme examples of a much more common problem. And that's -- that's the kind of awareness that it takes to get things to change.

And judges -- there are too many judges who do not realize the danger in allowing these guys off of bail. I really think it's important that legislators pass some laws to prohibit allowing a convicted child molester out on bail.

PHILLIPS: Is it your opinion that they, once caught, shouldn't be let out, period?

RUNNION: It is.

PHILLIPS: So, you don't believe in second chances, or they just put in their time, and then -- and then should, on good behavior, be let out?

RUNNION: You know, I really think that we should keep studying. We should keep doing research on programming to see what programs may work to help predators contain their behavior.

But, as far as I'm concerned, it is absolutely irresponsible to let a child predator out on the streets, when we know that the vast majority will re-offend. Three-fifths of all sex offenders re-offend within three to five years.

PHILLIPS: Erin, is there a state that does a really good job with dealing with sex offenders, a state that has good laws, good judges? Is there one that you think is doing better than -- than the rest?

RUNNION: I think a lot of us are starting to catch up. Florida has passed some very progressive laws, namely Jessica's Law, with address verification and, you know, mandatory registering with in person.

California actually just passed SB 1128, the Sex Offender Punishment, Containment and Control Act. And it is, as far as I'm concerned, the most comprehensive sex offender bill I have seen in this country. It is fantastic. It addresses programming. It addresses risk assessment. It addresses proactive prevention program and GPS tracking devices, 25 years to life for your first conviction of child rape. It's -- we're on the right track. We're starting to take notice.

And -- and it's no longer going to be easy to be a sex offender in this country or in this state, for sure.

PHILLIPS: I think that's what everybody wants to hear.

RUNNION: That's right.

PHILLIPS: Finally, I know you were blessed to have a baby, 2- and-a-half years old now. But I know you never stop thinking about Samantha.

How do you keep her memory alive in your mind, in your heart, within your family?

RUNNION: You know, lots of ways. We started the Joyful Child Foundation.

And what we're working on is actually empowering individuals in their neighborhoods to -- to make sure that this crime -- this kind of crime doesn't happen in their own neighborhood to their own children. So, that, to me, is a very honorable way to -- to -- to remember Samantha, to honor how she died and who she was.

We also have a children arts festival every July on what would have been her birthday, celebrating her life and her love of the creative -- creative arts.

PHILLIPS: Well, Erin Runnion, you're a tremendous advocate for kids.

RUNNION: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: And we sure appreciate your time.

RUNNION: Thank you so much for having me.

PHILLIPS: We are going to be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Roll out the barrel. We'll have a barrel of fun.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: OK, Otis (ph), I know that wasn't in your music collection, was it?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: No, it wasn't.

Is that really in your music collection, Otis (ph)? Yes, that's what I thought. OK.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Well, the World Cup kicks off in Germany in less than two days, and it's not just the fans who are excited. Sponsorships are big business.

Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange, to roll out all the details.

(LAUGHTER)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The problem is, you cannot, Kyra, do the beer barrel polka and swig your stein at the same time...

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: ... not without spilling it.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Yes, I was going to say, there's no way to keep your balance.

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: You know, that's not good -- you know, that's not good value, you know, if you value the cost of your beer.

But any case, let's talk about soccer. It is the most popular sport in the world. There's a huge amount of nationalistic pride just about everywhere in the world, except for the U.S., with a TV audience of more than five billion viewers over the next four weeks. And that, of course, means huge opportunities for merchandising and corporate sponsorship.

Well, the sport has yet to completely catch on here in the U.S. But some major American companies are still attaching their names to the tournament, including MasterCard, Coca-Cola, Yahoo!, and McDonald's.

But one of the 15 official partners of the World Cup is facing more criticism than most. And that would be Budweiser. Many Germans resent that an American beer has the exclusive World Cup rights in a country that claims to have invented the beverage.

So, Anheuser-Busch cut a deal that will allow a German brand, a beloved German brand called Bitburger, to be sold at World Cup matches, although in unmarked plastic cups. Budweiser, on the other hand, will be sold in cups stamped with the Bud name.

Just to give you an idea, Kyra, of how passionate Germans are about their beer, one Bavarian politician said, Germans have -- and this is a quote -- "a caretaking obligation to not poison World Cup visitors with bad American beer."

(LAUGHTER)

LISOVICZ: Bud is not seen as the king of beers, not in Germany in any case -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You know, you have had that German beer. So have I. I got to tell you, there's a little bit of a difference. You know what I'm saying?

LISOVICZ: I know what you're saying.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk...

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about a sport, of course, a lot of Americans talk about, basketball. There is one company that stands to take advantage of sponsorships for the NBA finals. LISOVICZ: How about that? You know, that doesn't happen that often, Kyra.

When the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks tip off tomorrow night, one company will have the rare opportunity to slam-dunk its brand name into the minds of basketball fans. American Airlines pays more than $8 million a year for the naming rights to two pro sports venues, which just happen to be the American Airlines Arena in Miami and the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The airline struggling on the whole, but most marketing experts consider naming rights money well spent. A University of Missouri finance professor -- he actually studied this -- found that company stock prices rise an average of 1.7 percent when they sign stadium deals. And sponsors of teams that win most of their games see their shares rise nearly twice as much of those that support losing teams. So, the fact that American Airlines-branded venues will host both teams in the pro basketball championship series is a no-brainer. It's got to win one way or another, right, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Absolutely.

Well, how are shares of American Airlines reacting?

LISOVICZ: AMR is -- shares are actually up 2.5 percent.

The market overall is not doing so well. You know, we're seeing Dow industrials down 39 points. We thought we might have a rally going on after two days of losses -- not the case, Dow down 41 points, or a third of a percent, the Nasdaq down five points, or a quarter of a percent.

There was more Fed talk today, another Fed official saying that, yes, inflation, we're seeing elevated risks there, while the U.S. economy is showing signs of a slowdown. That's the kind of things that really have spooked the market recently, not a good thing.

That's the latest from Wall Street.

Kyra, I will throw it back to you.

PHILLIPS: Susan Lisovicz, thanks so much.

Well, straight ahead: Queen Latifah is a lot of things, but she wouldn't be any of them if she didn't believe in herself. And she wants other women to have the same sort of confidence. And, today, that campaign, well, she took it to Washington.

I will talk to her on LIVE FROM right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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