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American Morning

Salt Lake Police Look at Potential Suspect with 30-year Record

Aired June 24, 2002 - 07:30   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: Right now let's get some news out of the West. And starting in Salt Lake City, where police are taking a closer look at a potential suspect in the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.

Our Ed Lavandera is in Salt Lake this morning with more details -- Ed, good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

It's a late breaking development here in the search for Elizabeth Smart and her abductor. Police say that they have arrested, taken into custody a man named Richard Albert Ricci, a 50-year-old man here from the Salt Lake City area. Now, they've arrested him on unrelated charges, but he's being held without bail and he had originally been charged with burglary of a dwelling. But he's being held without bail and we understand that he's got a 30 year criminal history from some of the reports that have been floating around since he's been taken into custody.

Police say that he was arrested June 14 and the police say they have reason to be suspicious of his story in trying to come up with where he was on June 5, the early morning hours when Elizabeth Smart was abducted. They have reason to be suspicious of his story so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK DINSE, CHIEF OF POLICE, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: Richard Ricci is somebody that we're looking at very closely. He is somebody that has come into our, come to our attention through the investigation. As we speak now, we haven't been able to satisfy ourselves that he is not involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now, the Smart family has had a lot to deal with over the weekend as they have been reacting to several different of the changes that have happened in this story since Friday, when Bret Michael Edmunds was found in West Virginia. But the family saying that they do recognize Richard Ricci. They recognize him as a man who worked in the Smart family home in March of 2001 as a handyman. Apparently he was doing some paint jobs.

We also were told that the Smart family when they, you might have heard them mention last week a few times that they were hopeful about some of the leads that the police were pursuing. I was told by a family spokesperson that one of those, this is one of those leads that the family was hopeful about that might pan out to be something and provide some information that would lead to the return of Elizabeth Smart, or at least to figuring out who abducted her.

So, Daryn, press briefings, more press briefings scheduled for later on this morning here in Salt Lake City, where a lot of these questions, more of these questions will be thrown to police and family members, as well as more updates on Bret Michael Edmunds and how that story has developed over the weekend -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, and what about Bret Michael Edmunds? I understand police have received permission from him to vacuum his car, looking for fibers or other clues that might lead to what might have happened to Elizabeth Smart.

LAVANDERA: Well, we understand that over the weekend there's been a lot of questions. You might have heard a police officer from Salt Lake City and an FBI agent were flown out to West Virginia on Friday night and they spent the weekend interviewing Bret Michael Edmunds.

As far as how much information they've been able to garner from him is not up, not totally clear at this point. But we understand that they've, he's been cooperating with police and answering their questions. So, again, those are some of the details we hope to hear on, later on this morning.

KAGAN: Ed Lavandera, up very early this morning in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ed, thank you very much.

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