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American Morning
Rudolph Being Transported
Aired June 02, 2003 - 08:03 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to our top story yet again today. Federal officials this morning are transporting suspected bomber Eric Robert Rudolph to his first court appearance in North Carolina. Rudolph taken from the Cherokee County jail in Murphy under heavy security about 45 minutes ago.
Mike Brooks on the scene, one of the first to arrive there early Saturday morning, back with us live -- Mike, what's happening today?
Good morning.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, Eric Rudolph is en route to Asheville, North Carolina right now in a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter. At about 7:15 this morning he was escorted from the Cherokee County jail by the Murphy chief of police, the sheriff of Cherokee County, an federal agent and an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms & Explosives.
He was put into a Cherokee County sheriff's car wearing an orange jumpsuit and a bullet resistant vest.
Also, Bill, there on the scene providing security for him was the young officer J.S. Postell that actually did make the arrest.
He's due in court this morning at 10:00 a.m. in Asheville, North Carolina for his initial court appearance in U.S. federal court -- Bill.
HEMMER: Mike, what are we finding out about the past five years and is there any truth to these eyewitnesses who say they saw him in the middle of Murphy on Friday afternoon?
BROOKS: Well, there has been a number of people who've said that they have seen him here, seen him there, around town in Murphy, North Carolina. There's also allegations that there are a number of people here in Murphy helping him.
We just spoke with Mayor Bill Hughes just a few moments ago and asked him about that, and he said that he does not believe that there were anyone -- that there was anyone here in Murphy helping him over the five years. But other people we've spoken to feel that he was getting some kind of help. We know he had a flashlight. Batteries, as I said before, don't last five years. He didn't look that emaciated. He looked in pretty good shape.
So the FBI agents are going to remain here in Murphy, North Carolina, Bill, to, number one, try to find out if he did have any help and was aided and abetted here in Murphy. And they're also going to be back out in the woods later on today looking for additional evidence that they can find back in the woods to find out exactly if he was living in the woods and if he was, if he had any help -- Bill.
HEMMER: Mike Brooks again live in Murphy.
Emily Lyons was a victim of one of these alleged bombings back in 1998 in Birmingham, Alabama. In a moment, she and her husband will join us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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 June 2, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get back to our top story yet again today. Federal officials this morning are transporting suspected bomber Eric Robert Rudolph to his first court appearance in North Carolina. Rudolph taken from the Cherokee County jail in Murphy under heavy security about 45 minutes ago.
Mike Brooks on the scene, one of the first to arrive there early Saturday morning, back with us live -- Mike, what's happening today?
Good morning.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, Eric Rudolph is en route to Asheville, North Carolina right now in a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter. At about 7:15 this morning he was escorted from the Cherokee County jail by the Murphy chief of police, the sheriff of Cherokee County, an federal agent and an agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms & Explosives.
He was put into a Cherokee County sheriff's car wearing an orange jumpsuit and a bullet resistant vest.
Also, Bill, there on the scene providing security for him was the young officer J.S. Postell that actually did make the arrest.
He's due in court this morning at 10:00 a.m. in Asheville, North Carolina for his initial court appearance in U.S. federal court -- Bill.
HEMMER: Mike, what are we finding out about the past five years and is there any truth to these eyewitnesses who say they saw him in the middle of Murphy on Friday afternoon?
BROOKS: Well, there has been a number of people who've said that they have seen him here, seen him there, around town in Murphy, North Carolina. There's also allegations that there are a number of people here in Murphy helping him.
We just spoke with Mayor Bill Hughes just a few moments ago and asked him about that, and he said that he does not believe that there were anyone -- that there was anyone here in Murphy helping him over the five years. But other people we've spoken to feel that he was getting some kind of help. We know he had a flashlight. Batteries, as I said before, don't last five years. He didn't look that emaciated. He looked in pretty good shape.
So the FBI agents are going to remain here in Murphy, North Carolina, Bill, to, number one, try to find out if he did have any help and was aided and abetted here in Murphy. And they're also going to be back out in the woods later on today looking for additional evidence that they can find back in the woods to find out exactly if he was living in the woods and if he was, if he had any help -- Bill.
HEMMER: Mike Brooks again live in Murphy.
Emily Lyons was a victim of one of these alleged bombings back in 1998 in Birmingham, Alabama. In a moment, she and her husband will join us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
