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Eric Rudolph Pleads Guilty to Deadly 1998 Bombing at Birmingham Abortion Clinic

Aired April 13, 2005 - 10:31   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're coming up on the half hour. In fact, we're actually a minute past it. I'm Daryn Kagan. Good morning once again.
Here's what's happening now in the news. A grand jury is meeting in Indianapolis today. They're investigating the March 21st shooting spree at the high school on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Sixteen- year-old gunman Jeff Weise fatally killed himself after shooting nine people. It's not clear at this point whether he acted alone. A parent reportedly said his son has been subpoenaed to proved fingerprints, a DNA sample and a full-body color photo.

Two corporate pioneers are hoping to break new ground in ancient history, by taking DNA swabs, as you see here. Today, IBM and the National Geographic Society are launching a five-year genetic anthropology study to explain how the first humans left Africa and populated the world. The key to all of it will be DNA samples taken from indigenous peoples around the globe.

In South Florida, investigators scoured this charred sugar cane field in western Palm Beach County. They're trying to determine why the single-engine plane burst into a fireball while still on the air. Authorities don't know how many people were on board and killed in that explosion.

Just last hour, Eric Rudolph appeared in a federal courtroom to plead guilty to a deadly 1998 bombing at a Birmingham abortion clinic. Later today he'll enter the same plea in Atlanta for three other attacks including the deadly Olympic blast. The plea deal will spare Rudolph the threat of the death penalty.

The first hearing taking place in Birmingham, Alabama is just wrapping up.

Our David Mattingly was inside the courtroom for Rudolph's appearance. He joins me now from outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham.

David, good morning.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

A federal judge just a few minutes accepting Eric Rudolph's guilty plea in the bombing of Birmingham clinic back in 1998. There was a moment of defiance in the courtroom from Rudolph today, when the judge asked him, does he believe that the prosecution would be able to prove its case against him? Rudolph replied, "Just barely, your honor, but that's sufficient." The judge then followed up by saying, Well, let's cut to the chase. Did you plant the bomb outside the clinic?" "Yes, I did, your honor?" And, "Did you detonate that bomb?" And that's when Eric Rudolph replied, "I certainly did, your honor." Making it very clear that he was taking full responsibility for the bombing here in Birmingham.

There was long list, 30 to 40 questions that the judge asked him, a very meticulous process, to make sure the judge was convinced Eric Rudolph entered into the guilty plea, knowingly, freely and intelligently, knowing the full ramifications of what he was doing.

Now, Eric Rudolph has in part, as part of his agreement, allowing prosecutors to drop the death penalty in exchange for this guilty plea. Also, he was agreeing that he would not appeal this ruling in the future, accepting a sentence of life in prison.

So now this is just the first part. He will be on his way, escorted by federal marshals to Atlanta to a hearing at 3:00 Eastern today where he is expected to do the same thing for three bombings in that area -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So, David, it sounds from your reporting there wasn't any sense of remorse from Rudolph?

MATTINGLY: There does not appear to be any sense of remorse. There was that moment, it appeared, of arrogance and defiance where he said that he believed the federal government would just barely prove their case against him, but acknowledging that that would be sufficient, and then again, very clearly saying that he certainly did detonate that bomb here in Birmingham. So, Again, no trace of remorse what so ever.

KAGAN: All right, David Mattingly, thank you.

Now we want to listen in to the husband of one of the victims killed by Eric Robert Rudolph. This is the husband of the woman who died in the Olympic Park Bombing.

JOHN HAWTHORNE, HUSBAND OF OLYMPIC BOMBING VICTIM: I was angry all over again. And even though I would have eventually supported what was done, I probably would have not done so as willingly because this guy is -- well, I'll just -- I'll just leave it at I was very much disappointed in his demeanor, and in his attitude and the way he answered the questions, so we'll just go on to Atlanta from here, and probably expect to see the same thing there.

QUESTION: Are you upset that he still hasn't explained why?

HAWTHORNE: I'm not sure that that was part of the process. Hopefully at some point that may happen during the sentencing hearing. I understand that is there a possibility he will make some statements, and hopefully, some of that information will come out, but at this proceeding, it was fairly routine, follow the script, and we'll just see how it goes in Atlanta.

QUESTION: If you could speak to him face to face right now, what would you say to him?

HAWTHORNE: I'm not sure what I would say to him at this particular point in time. It was very unsettling, and I just don't know what I would say at this time.

QUESTION: What do you want to hear from him?

HAWTHORNE: I don't know at this point. But I'm reacting to what was done in this particular case. When I get to Atlanta, it will be a lot more personal. So I would reserve any other comments for after that hearing.

KAGAN: We're listening in to John Hawthorne. He was the husband of Alicia Hawthorne. He was the woman who was killed in 1996 here in Atlanta in the Centennial Park Bombing. He is going to two hearings in federal court. He is in Birmingham, Alabama, where Eric Robert Rudolph entered a guilty plea in the bombing that took place there. He and his daughter will come up here to Atlanta and go to the second hearing. He said that will be a lot more personal, because that will be directly connected to the death of his wife.

Let's take a closer at Rudolph's plea and what led him to the life-saving deal.

Our senior investigative producer Henry Schuster has followed this case extensively. In fact, he co-authored the newly released book "Hunting Eric Rudolph."

Henry joins me from outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham.

Henry, good morning.

HENRY SCHUSTER, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: You got to explain this plea bargain to me, because I don't get it. This man is going to admit on this day to killing Alicia Hawthorne and to the three bombings that took place in the Atlanta area and the one in Birmingham, Alabama, also a police officer killed in this, and he walks away with his life. In this time of the war on terror, how does the federal government go for that?

SCHUSTER: The federal government's argument is what they gained in public safety they gave away in terms of the death penalty. In other words, as part of this plea agreement, Eric Rudolph disclosed the location of 250 pounds of dynamite, which they had always suspected that he had. He disclosed the location of one bomb which was actually planted near where they were using their forward command post up in North Carolina and he disclosed the location of components and other devices that could have been used to make more bombs. That is what they say that they got from him.

What they didn't get is anything about where he might have hidden during all of this time. What they didn't get from Eric Rudolph, except for barely today, was an admission of guilt. As David mentioned, his admission of guilt was grudging at best today. He was certainly defiant. It was -- the dynamic in the courtroom was extremely interesting to see him, the way he stared at the judge when the plea was read. When the government outlined its case, in fact, Rudolph just visibly, his face hardened.

KAGAN: Do you think if this was a suspected Al Qaeda or an Arab- American, it would be a different type of plea deal?

SCHUSTER: Well, I can't answer that. I think that question needs to be asked to the people who made the plea deal. I mean, obviously for the defense, it's great deal. The prosecution -- sources close to the case said that the change in the government's position came directly from the attorney general Alberto Gonzales, so that might be a question best directed towards Washington.

KAGAN: The other thing we don't have here, we still don't have a motive for this man.

SCHUSTER: No. There is a chance later today that his defense team will issue a statement. Last week, when the plea agreement was announced, one of Rudolph's attorneys remarked that his client was a real gentleman, and that he looks forward to telling his side of the story. But if what happened today is any indication, I'm not sure what we're going to get, what he will say his reasons will be.

One of the things that was striking is the reactions inside. We heard from John Hawthorne. To see John Hawthorne, his stepdaughter Fallon Stubbs, his mother Alice was killed during the bombing. Felecia Sanderson, whose husband was killed during the bombing here in Birmingham. And Emily Lyons was wounded.

And one of the more touching moments was actually right after the plea was entered and as the court was breaking. Felecia Sanderson and John Hawthorne just gently clasped hands and looked at each other as if to say it's over. John, of course, as you heard, is going back to Atlanta to the other plea arrangements, and so are are Emily Lyons and her husband, Jeff.

KAGAN: And where does Eric Rudolph eventually go?

SCHUSTER: Well, that's still not clear. It appears that Eric Rudolph, at the end today, may eventually come back here to Birmingham as part of this arrangement. He will come back to the Jefferson County Jail where he's staying and he'll stay there until mid-July, July 18th, which was set as the date for the formal sentencing.

The victims' families, the families of the victims, waived their right to say anything today. It may be that on July 18th, not only will we hear from them, but we might hear more from Eric Robert Rudolph as to why he finally -- finally hearing why he did this.

KAGAN: CNN senior investigative producer, Henry Schuster, in Birmingham. We will see you later today from here in Atlanta. Thank you, Henry.

They're barely walking and already they need to worry about their credit rating? It's true. Still to come, identity theft hits even the youngest consumer. Speaking of consuming, gas prices hit this woman pretty hard, so she went to plan B. We'll explain when CNN LIVE TODAY gallops on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Parents of young children have a number of safety issues to worry about. You can now add one more to that: identity theft. CNN's Aaron Brown has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): At just 21 days old, Andrew Brooke was causing his parents a few more problems than your average infant.

JOHN BROOKE, ANDREW'S FATHER: I went out to get the mail one day and opened up the mail from a medical clinic. And realized that Andrew was being billed for an office visit for $94. Apparently he'd driven himself across town, walked in to see the doctor for a work- related back injury, and then prescribed a narcotic pain reliever that can sell for up to $30 a piece up the street.

BROWN: Since Andrew was barely drooling, let along walking and working, his parents suspected something was up.

BROOKE: The first thing we did is call the medical clinic and say, where did you get this information? What's going on? And they told us it had been provided by the person who had walked in.

BROWN: Andrew's full name appeared only on two pieces of paper -- his birth certificate and his medical records, and neither had left the Seattle area hospital where he was born. But the hospital told the family it found no evidence of a security breach, and police, the family says, were of little help.

BROOKE: It took two months to actually get them to even file the police report. And that was only after weekly phone calls from me, just badgering them until they finally filed one.

BROWN: No one has been arrested for stealing Andrew Brooks' identity, just as no one is usually arrested in such matters.

BROOKE: It's the fastest growing crime in this country. It's the most expensive crime to this country, costing between $46 and $53 billion a year -- that's billion with a "b" -- depending on whose study you look at. And what I find really amazing is fewer than one in 700 cases are even investigated.

BROWN: Compared to Andrew, Rebecca Bartelheimer was all grown up when at 3 years old her ID was stolen. Her mother learned this when she tried to open a savings account and found that her daughter's Social Security number was already in use.

MICHELE BARTELHEIMER, REBECCA'S MOTHER: I felt very violated, because you know, I thought I was doing everything to protect her. And never even thought that I had to protect her from identity theft. You think of car seats. You think of helmets. You think of coats on a cold day. You never think of someone coming and stealing your child's identity.

BROWN: She has no idea how this happened, but says she spent 1,000 hours trying to undo the damage caused to her 3-year-old's credit rating.

BARTELHEIMER: And I just cry tears, because every day, all day I'd wake up and spend all day. If I wasn't taking care of my kids, I had to be on the phone, or on the Internet researching this and trying to track it down, and sitting on hold on the phone waiting for someone to talk to me. It was horrible. It was a nightmare.

BROWN: When you consider all the things that can happen to your child, identity theft may not seem like much. But as a parent, it does change you. It changed Andrew's dad, a lot.

BROOKE: You don't relax anymore. You're worried about everything. What information am I giving out? Who is going to use that information? How will it be used?

BROWN: Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Right now, it is 9:52 in Birmingham, Alabama, where serial bomber Eric Rudolph has just pleaded guilty. Stay with us. We'll be back with a quick check for your morning forecast.

Plus, Britney Spears with child? She sets the record straight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Hey, you know gasoline is really expensive these days. How expensive? Well, let's check in on one woman in rural Georgia. She switched from fuel to a mule. Atlanta affiliate WXIA had no trouble catching up with her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEE DEE BEAVERS: I'm not going to get her beautiful. We're going out working.

This is Miss Bell. She was my third mule.

There's no ladylike way to get on here.

Can you imagine doing this 100 years ago in a skirt?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. BEAVERS: That's why I tell people there's no ladylike way to drive -- just get in and go.

But the gas, I can't afford it. It's so much easier this way. It's getting ridiculous. I drive an older truck, a large truck, it's an F-250, you know, typical farm truck, and this running around town is just a waste, because we're what, nine miles from town? It's so much easier to hook her up and go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's like the old days.

BEAVERS: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man alive. That brings back memories.

BEAVERS: I think it's a wonderful idea. I do. Yes, I do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it surprising to you at all?

BEAVERS: I don't know. Being an animal lover, I just -- I think it's great. Of course, I couldn't get on 85 with you. No, sir, I wouldn't do that anyway.

Step up, bell.

It's a bond. If you ever find a good mule, that's it. It's a nice way to travel, it really is. And the savings really mount up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: I would guess so. And apparently, Miss Bell, the mule, eats for free. Did you see her snacking on the bush when ever the woman went into the post office or whatever while she was in town.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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


Aired April 13, 2005 - 10:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're coming up on the half hour. In fact, we're actually a minute past it. I'm Daryn Kagan. Good morning once again.
Here's what's happening now in the news. A grand jury is meeting in Indianapolis today. They're investigating the March 21st shooting spree at the high school on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. Sixteen- year-old gunman Jeff Weise fatally killed himself after shooting nine people. It's not clear at this point whether he acted alone. A parent reportedly said his son has been subpoenaed to proved fingerprints, a DNA sample and a full-body color photo.

Two corporate pioneers are hoping to break new ground in ancient history, by taking DNA swabs, as you see here. Today, IBM and the National Geographic Society are launching a five-year genetic anthropology study to explain how the first humans left Africa and populated the world. The key to all of it will be DNA samples taken from indigenous peoples around the globe.

In South Florida, investigators scoured this charred sugar cane field in western Palm Beach County. They're trying to determine why the single-engine plane burst into a fireball while still on the air. Authorities don't know how many people were on board and killed in that explosion.

Just last hour, Eric Rudolph appeared in a federal courtroom to plead guilty to a deadly 1998 bombing at a Birmingham abortion clinic. Later today he'll enter the same plea in Atlanta for three other attacks including the deadly Olympic blast. The plea deal will spare Rudolph the threat of the death penalty.

The first hearing taking place in Birmingham, Alabama is just wrapping up.

Our David Mattingly was inside the courtroom for Rudolph's appearance. He joins me now from outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham.

David, good morning.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

A federal judge just a few minutes accepting Eric Rudolph's guilty plea in the bombing of Birmingham clinic back in 1998. There was a moment of defiance in the courtroom from Rudolph today, when the judge asked him, does he believe that the prosecution would be able to prove its case against him? Rudolph replied, "Just barely, your honor, but that's sufficient." The judge then followed up by saying, Well, let's cut to the chase. Did you plant the bomb outside the clinic?" "Yes, I did, your honor?" And, "Did you detonate that bomb?" And that's when Eric Rudolph replied, "I certainly did, your honor." Making it very clear that he was taking full responsibility for the bombing here in Birmingham.

There was long list, 30 to 40 questions that the judge asked him, a very meticulous process, to make sure the judge was convinced Eric Rudolph entered into the guilty plea, knowingly, freely and intelligently, knowing the full ramifications of what he was doing.

Now, Eric Rudolph has in part, as part of his agreement, allowing prosecutors to drop the death penalty in exchange for this guilty plea. Also, he was agreeing that he would not appeal this ruling in the future, accepting a sentence of life in prison.

So now this is just the first part. He will be on his way, escorted by federal marshals to Atlanta to a hearing at 3:00 Eastern today where he is expected to do the same thing for three bombings in that area -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So, David, it sounds from your reporting there wasn't any sense of remorse from Rudolph?

MATTINGLY: There does not appear to be any sense of remorse. There was that moment, it appeared, of arrogance and defiance where he said that he believed the federal government would just barely prove their case against him, but acknowledging that that would be sufficient, and then again, very clearly saying that he certainly did detonate that bomb here in Birmingham. So, Again, no trace of remorse what so ever.

KAGAN: All right, David Mattingly, thank you.

Now we want to listen in to the husband of one of the victims killed by Eric Robert Rudolph. This is the husband of the woman who died in the Olympic Park Bombing.

JOHN HAWTHORNE, HUSBAND OF OLYMPIC BOMBING VICTIM: I was angry all over again. And even though I would have eventually supported what was done, I probably would have not done so as willingly because this guy is -- well, I'll just -- I'll just leave it at I was very much disappointed in his demeanor, and in his attitude and the way he answered the questions, so we'll just go on to Atlanta from here, and probably expect to see the same thing there.

QUESTION: Are you upset that he still hasn't explained why?

HAWTHORNE: I'm not sure that that was part of the process. Hopefully at some point that may happen during the sentencing hearing. I understand that is there a possibility he will make some statements, and hopefully, some of that information will come out, but at this proceeding, it was fairly routine, follow the script, and we'll just see how it goes in Atlanta.

QUESTION: If you could speak to him face to face right now, what would you say to him?

HAWTHORNE: I'm not sure what I would say to him at this particular point in time. It was very unsettling, and I just don't know what I would say at this time.

QUESTION: What do you want to hear from him?

HAWTHORNE: I don't know at this point. But I'm reacting to what was done in this particular case. When I get to Atlanta, it will be a lot more personal. So I would reserve any other comments for after that hearing.

KAGAN: We're listening in to John Hawthorne. He was the husband of Alicia Hawthorne. He was the woman who was killed in 1996 here in Atlanta in the Centennial Park Bombing. He is going to two hearings in federal court. He is in Birmingham, Alabama, where Eric Robert Rudolph entered a guilty plea in the bombing that took place there. He and his daughter will come up here to Atlanta and go to the second hearing. He said that will be a lot more personal, because that will be directly connected to the death of his wife.

Let's take a closer at Rudolph's plea and what led him to the life-saving deal.

Our senior investigative producer Henry Schuster has followed this case extensively. In fact, he co-authored the newly released book "Hunting Eric Rudolph."

Henry joins me from outside the federal courthouse in Birmingham.

Henry, good morning.

HENRY SCHUSTER, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE PRODUCER: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: You got to explain this plea bargain to me, because I don't get it. This man is going to admit on this day to killing Alicia Hawthorne and to the three bombings that took place in the Atlanta area and the one in Birmingham, Alabama, also a police officer killed in this, and he walks away with his life. In this time of the war on terror, how does the federal government go for that?

SCHUSTER: The federal government's argument is what they gained in public safety they gave away in terms of the death penalty. In other words, as part of this plea agreement, Eric Rudolph disclosed the location of 250 pounds of dynamite, which they had always suspected that he had. He disclosed the location of one bomb which was actually planted near where they were using their forward command post up in North Carolina and he disclosed the location of components and other devices that could have been used to make more bombs. That is what they say that they got from him.

What they didn't get is anything about where he might have hidden during all of this time. What they didn't get from Eric Rudolph, except for barely today, was an admission of guilt. As David mentioned, his admission of guilt was grudging at best today. He was certainly defiant. It was -- the dynamic in the courtroom was extremely interesting to see him, the way he stared at the judge when the plea was read. When the government outlined its case, in fact, Rudolph just visibly, his face hardened.

KAGAN: Do you think if this was a suspected Al Qaeda or an Arab- American, it would be a different type of plea deal?

SCHUSTER: Well, I can't answer that. I think that question needs to be asked to the people who made the plea deal. I mean, obviously for the defense, it's great deal. The prosecution -- sources close to the case said that the change in the government's position came directly from the attorney general Alberto Gonzales, so that might be a question best directed towards Washington.

KAGAN: The other thing we don't have here, we still don't have a motive for this man.

SCHUSTER: No. There is a chance later today that his defense team will issue a statement. Last week, when the plea agreement was announced, one of Rudolph's attorneys remarked that his client was a real gentleman, and that he looks forward to telling his side of the story. But if what happened today is any indication, I'm not sure what we're going to get, what he will say his reasons will be.

One of the things that was striking is the reactions inside. We heard from John Hawthorne. To see John Hawthorne, his stepdaughter Fallon Stubbs, his mother Alice was killed during the bombing. Felecia Sanderson, whose husband was killed during the bombing here in Birmingham. And Emily Lyons was wounded.

And one of the more touching moments was actually right after the plea was entered and as the court was breaking. Felecia Sanderson and John Hawthorne just gently clasped hands and looked at each other as if to say it's over. John, of course, as you heard, is going back to Atlanta to the other plea arrangements, and so are are Emily Lyons and her husband, Jeff.

KAGAN: And where does Eric Rudolph eventually go?

SCHUSTER: Well, that's still not clear. It appears that Eric Rudolph, at the end today, may eventually come back here to Birmingham as part of this arrangement. He will come back to the Jefferson County Jail where he's staying and he'll stay there until mid-July, July 18th, which was set as the date for the formal sentencing.

The victims' families, the families of the victims, waived their right to say anything today. It may be that on July 18th, not only will we hear from them, but we might hear more from Eric Robert Rudolph as to why he finally -- finally hearing why he did this.

KAGAN: CNN senior investigative producer, Henry Schuster, in Birmingham. We will see you later today from here in Atlanta. Thank you, Henry.

They're barely walking and already they need to worry about their credit rating? It's true. Still to come, identity theft hits even the youngest consumer. Speaking of consuming, gas prices hit this woman pretty hard, so she went to plan B. We'll explain when CNN LIVE TODAY gallops on.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Parents of young children have a number of safety issues to worry about. You can now add one more to that: identity theft. CNN's Aaron Brown has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): At just 21 days old, Andrew Brooke was causing his parents a few more problems than your average infant.

JOHN BROOKE, ANDREW'S FATHER: I went out to get the mail one day and opened up the mail from a medical clinic. And realized that Andrew was being billed for an office visit for $94. Apparently he'd driven himself across town, walked in to see the doctor for a work- related back injury, and then prescribed a narcotic pain reliever that can sell for up to $30 a piece up the street.

BROWN: Since Andrew was barely drooling, let along walking and working, his parents suspected something was up.

BROOKE: The first thing we did is call the medical clinic and say, where did you get this information? What's going on? And they told us it had been provided by the person who had walked in.

BROWN: Andrew's full name appeared only on two pieces of paper -- his birth certificate and his medical records, and neither had left the Seattle area hospital where he was born. But the hospital told the family it found no evidence of a security breach, and police, the family says, were of little help.

BROOKE: It took two months to actually get them to even file the police report. And that was only after weekly phone calls from me, just badgering them until they finally filed one.

BROWN: No one has been arrested for stealing Andrew Brooks' identity, just as no one is usually arrested in such matters.

BROOKE: It's the fastest growing crime in this country. It's the most expensive crime to this country, costing between $46 and $53 billion a year -- that's billion with a "b" -- depending on whose study you look at. And what I find really amazing is fewer than one in 700 cases are even investigated.

BROWN: Compared to Andrew, Rebecca Bartelheimer was all grown up when at 3 years old her ID was stolen. Her mother learned this when she tried to open a savings account and found that her daughter's Social Security number was already in use.

MICHELE BARTELHEIMER, REBECCA'S MOTHER: I felt very violated, because you know, I thought I was doing everything to protect her. And never even thought that I had to protect her from identity theft. You think of car seats. You think of helmets. You think of coats on a cold day. You never think of someone coming and stealing your child's identity.

BROWN: She has no idea how this happened, but says she spent 1,000 hours trying to undo the damage caused to her 3-year-old's credit rating.

BARTELHEIMER: And I just cry tears, because every day, all day I'd wake up and spend all day. If I wasn't taking care of my kids, I had to be on the phone, or on the Internet researching this and trying to track it down, and sitting on hold on the phone waiting for someone to talk to me. It was horrible. It was a nightmare.

BROWN: When you consider all the things that can happen to your child, identity theft may not seem like much. But as a parent, it does change you. It changed Andrew's dad, a lot.

BROOKE: You don't relax anymore. You're worried about everything. What information am I giving out? Who is going to use that information? How will it be used?

BROWN: Aaron Brown, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Right now, it is 9:52 in Birmingham, Alabama, where serial bomber Eric Rudolph has just pleaded guilty. Stay with us. We'll be back with a quick check for your morning forecast.

Plus, Britney Spears with child? She sets the record straight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Hey, you know gasoline is really expensive these days. How expensive? Well, let's check in on one woman in rural Georgia. She switched from fuel to a mule. Atlanta affiliate WXIA had no trouble catching up with her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEE DEE BEAVERS: I'm not going to get her beautiful. We're going out working.

This is Miss Bell. She was my third mule.

There's no ladylike way to get on here.

Can you imagine doing this 100 years ago in a skirt?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. BEAVERS: That's why I tell people there's no ladylike way to drive -- just get in and go.

But the gas, I can't afford it. It's so much easier this way. It's getting ridiculous. I drive an older truck, a large truck, it's an F-250, you know, typical farm truck, and this running around town is just a waste, because we're what, nine miles from town? It's so much easier to hook her up and go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's like the old days.

BEAVERS: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man alive. That brings back memories.

BEAVERS: I think it's a wonderful idea. I do. Yes, I do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it surprising to you at all?

BEAVERS: I don't know. Being an animal lover, I just -- I think it's great. Of course, I couldn't get on 85 with you. No, sir, I wouldn't do that anyway.

Step up, bell.

It's a bond. If you ever find a good mule, that's it. It's a nice way to travel, it really is. And the savings really mount up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: I would guess so. And apparently, Miss Bell, the mule, eats for free. Did you see her snacking on the bush when ever the woman went into the post office or whatever while she was in town.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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