Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Dotson Contacts Maryland Authorities in Dennehy Case

Aired July 18, 2003 - 08:06   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: Now to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Patrick Dennehy. The Baylor University basketball player has been missing now for more than a month and yesterday teammate Carlton Dotson, who has been named as a "person of interest" in the Texas investigation, contacted authorities in Maryland.
Could there now be a break in this case?

The latest from Jason Carroll, tracking it for us this morning in the State of Maryland, Dorchester County Sheriff's office there -- Jason, good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Bill.

Sheriff's investigators would only say that they were somewhat surprised when they got a call from Dotson yesterday saying that he wanted to give a statement about the disappearance of his teammate. So sheriff's investigators sent a car over to his home. They picked him up, brought him back and for the next hour and a half he proceeded then to give that statement, without his attorney present.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JAMES PHILLIPS, JR., DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND: We've been asked by the Waco Police Department not to elaborate on the statement or anything contained in the statement. They've been made aware of the contents of the statement and it's now part of their investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: As you can see, sheriff's investigators not saying much about the content of that statement. Dotson left yesterday with his former high school basketball coach. Also yesterday, Dennehy's ex- girlfriend also talked about this development. She said, "I just kind of had the impression that he knows more than he's telling. I think it was really eating on him so much. If he can help us find Patrick, that's what we want."

Investigators in Waco, Texas at this point saying that Dotson is simply a "person of interest." They are not calling him a suspect -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jason Carroll, thanks, live in Maryland.

"Dallas Morning News" reporters Arnold Hamilton has been watching this story since the very beginning. He's live with us this morning in Oklahoma City.

Good morning to you.

Good to have you with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.

What do you make of this and ultimately the question as to why he would turn himself in yesterday to answer questions?

ARNOLD HAMILTON, REPORTER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Well, that's the $60,000 question at this point. Nobody really seems to know -- Carlton Dotson obviously has been in the center of this mystery since the beginning, but he had been quiet now for several weeks. And, in fact, last week, his attorney said that he would not speak further with authorities unless he was actually subpoenaed.

HEMMER: There's a report that says he requested an FBI agent there yesterday. Significant in any way?

HAMILTON: Hard to say. Obviously this case seems to be branching far beyond the boundaries of the Waco City limits at this point, particularly when you consider that Patrick Dennehy's SUV was found in a parking lot in Virginia Beach, Virginia with the license plates missing.

HEMMER: Yes, it's come out, and your newspaper has reported on it, that a cell phone belonging to Dennehy was actually used three days after he was reported missing.

What did you track down on this?

HAMILTON: Well, actually, what we discovered is three days after he was last heard from, he last spoke to a friend of his in Arlington, Texas on June the 14th, a -- at least two phone calls had been made by someone from his cell number since that time. One of them was to a number in the New York-New Jersey area, to a limousine driver, who said she does not recall receiving the call, but says she gives out her business card to lots of people and, in fact, has a client in Waco who she just picked up recently, along with his wife, and took them from the airport to the city.

So it's really unclear whether it was a misdialed call or what the situation was.

HEMMER: So that woman who drove the limo did not have much to offer in terms of clarification?

HAMILTON: No, and the, my understanding is is that the cell phone record indicates the call was a minute in duration. But that could mean that it was a five second call or a 30 second call.

HEMMER: Sure.

HAMILTON: We're just not sure.

HEMMER: It could have been a wrong number, too.

HAMILTON: Sure.

HEMMER: Has the case hit a dead end, do you think?

HAMILTON: Well, Waco police obviously are keeping very quiet and playing it very close to the vest at this point. And we just don't know yet whether they're sitting on a lot of information or pursuing leads quietly that are leading them toward a resolution here or whether they're actually stumped, as well.

There have been some police officers who have suggested privately, I understand, that it could be one of those very sad cases where a couple of years down the road hunters stumble across bones in a field somewhere.

HEMMER: It's a good mystery at this point.

Arnold Hamilton, thanks, in Oklahoma City, "Dallas Morning News."

HAMILTON: Thank you.

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 July 18, 2003 - 08:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Patrick Dennehy. The Baylor University basketball player has been missing now for more than a month and yesterday teammate Carlton Dotson, who has been named as a "person of interest" in the Texas investigation, contacted authorities in Maryland.
Could there now be a break in this case?

The latest from Jason Carroll, tracking it for us this morning in the State of Maryland, Dorchester County Sheriff's office there -- Jason, good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Bill.

Sheriff's investigators would only say that they were somewhat surprised when they got a call from Dotson yesterday saying that he wanted to give a statement about the disappearance of his teammate. So sheriff's investigators sent a car over to his home. They picked him up, brought him back and for the next hour and a half he proceeded then to give that statement, without his attorney present.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JAMES PHILLIPS, JR., DORCHESTER COUNTY, MARYLAND: We've been asked by the Waco Police Department not to elaborate on the statement or anything contained in the statement. They've been made aware of the contents of the statement and it's now part of their investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: As you can see, sheriff's investigators not saying much about the content of that statement. Dotson left yesterday with his former high school basketball coach. Also yesterday, Dennehy's ex- girlfriend also talked about this development. She said, "I just kind of had the impression that he knows more than he's telling. I think it was really eating on him so much. If he can help us find Patrick, that's what we want."

Investigators in Waco, Texas at this point saying that Dotson is simply a "person of interest." They are not calling him a suspect -- Bill.

HEMMER: Jason Carroll, thanks, live in Maryland.

"Dallas Morning News" reporters Arnold Hamilton has been watching this story since the very beginning. He's live with us this morning in Oklahoma City.

Good morning to you.

Good to have you with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.

What do you make of this and ultimately the question as to why he would turn himself in yesterday to answer questions?

ARNOLD HAMILTON, REPORTER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": Well, that's the $60,000 question at this point. Nobody really seems to know -- Carlton Dotson obviously has been in the center of this mystery since the beginning, but he had been quiet now for several weeks. And, in fact, last week, his attorney said that he would not speak further with authorities unless he was actually subpoenaed.

HEMMER: There's a report that says he requested an FBI agent there yesterday. Significant in any way?

HAMILTON: Hard to say. Obviously this case seems to be branching far beyond the boundaries of the Waco City limits at this point, particularly when you consider that Patrick Dennehy's SUV was found in a parking lot in Virginia Beach, Virginia with the license plates missing.

HEMMER: Yes, it's come out, and your newspaper has reported on it, that a cell phone belonging to Dennehy was actually used three days after he was reported missing.

What did you track down on this?

HAMILTON: Well, actually, what we discovered is three days after he was last heard from, he last spoke to a friend of his in Arlington, Texas on June the 14th, a -- at least two phone calls had been made by someone from his cell number since that time. One of them was to a number in the New York-New Jersey area, to a limousine driver, who said she does not recall receiving the call, but says she gives out her business card to lots of people and, in fact, has a client in Waco who she just picked up recently, along with his wife, and took them from the airport to the city.

So it's really unclear whether it was a misdialed call or what the situation was.

HEMMER: So that woman who drove the limo did not have much to offer in terms of clarification?

HAMILTON: No, and the, my understanding is is that the cell phone record indicates the call was a minute in duration. But that could mean that it was a five second call or a 30 second call.

HEMMER: Sure.

HAMILTON: We're just not sure.

HEMMER: It could have been a wrong number, too.

HAMILTON: Sure.

HEMMER: Has the case hit a dead end, do you think?

HAMILTON: Well, Waco police obviously are keeping very quiet and playing it very close to the vest at this point. And we just don't know yet whether they're sitting on a lot of information or pursuing leads quietly that are leading them toward a resolution here or whether they're actually stumped, as well.

There have been some police officers who have suggested privately, I understand, that it could be one of those very sad cases where a couple of years down the road hunters stumble across bones in a field somewhere.

HEMMER: It's a good mystery at this point.

Arnold Hamilton, thanks, in Oklahoma City, "Dallas Morning News."

HAMILTON: Thank you.

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