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CNN Saturday Morning News
Georgia Mother Reunited with Children
Aired January 10, 2004 - 07:34 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: A Georgia mother has been reunited with three of her daughters after they were rescued by police. A judge has given Melissa Peeler custody of the girls. Their father, Jerry Jones, is hospitalized with a gunshot wound. He's accused of killing another daughter and three of his in-laws. Jones shot himself when officers responding to an amber alert call forced his car off a road in East Ridge, Tennessee.
Ross Cavitt of WSB in Atlanta talked with the man who spotted Jones and made that call.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERT JOY, AMBER ALERT CALLER: I don't know. I think he's probably doing that job right now.
ROSS CAVITT, WSB CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Albert Joy said he and the other traveling back from Florida had heard the amber alert on the radio and had seen the signs, but he was stunned to actually see the Explorer northbound on I-75. His 911 call went to Whitfield County.
JOY: I didn't even know the amber alert license plate number.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amber alert, this is the three children that are missing?
JOY: Yes.
It was red and it fit the description and I told Jason, the driver of the car, to slow down so we could look at the license plate.
That's it. We're right behind them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you at, sir?
JOY: Exit 323.
It seemed like forever until the police got there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you at now?
JOY: Exit 336.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 336.
JOY: We just passed it. Is anybody coming? When we were alongside him, we couldn't see any kids and that's why we weren't sure. And then when we pulled back and were behind him, we kept seeing him put his hand back, I believe probably to get the kids down so people wouldn't be looking for that.
Yes, there's definitely kids in there.
My wife, right before they got there, had told me that he was a murderer and I was like OK, then why are we following so close?
CAVITT: It seemed like forever, but about 10 miles down the road the cops caught up.
JOY: OK, he's got it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you right behind it?
JOY: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
JOY: Oh, good, yes! Awesome.
CAVITT: A trooper would later spin out the SUV. Jerry Jones shot himself in the face. Police rescued the three kids.
JOY: It was a blessing that those kids were safe, those three girls. I don't know, there's no reward for me other than knowing that I did the right thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: That report from Ross Cavitt of CNN affiliate WSB in Atlanta.
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 January 10, 2004 - 07:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: A Georgia mother has been reunited with three of her daughters after they were rescued by police. A judge has given Melissa Peeler custody of the girls. Their father, Jerry Jones, is hospitalized with a gunshot wound. He's accused of killing another daughter and three of his in-laws. Jones shot himself when officers responding to an amber alert call forced his car off a road in East Ridge, Tennessee.
Ross Cavitt of WSB in Atlanta talked with the man who spotted Jones and made that call.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERT JOY, AMBER ALERT CALLER: I don't know. I think he's probably doing that job right now.
ROSS CAVITT, WSB CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Albert Joy said he and the other traveling back from Florida had heard the amber alert on the radio and had seen the signs, but he was stunned to actually see the Explorer northbound on I-75. His 911 call went to Whitfield County.
JOY: I didn't even know the amber alert license plate number.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Amber alert, this is the three children that are missing?
JOY: Yes.
It was red and it fit the description and I told Jason, the driver of the car, to slow down so we could look at the license plate.
That's it. We're right behind them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you at, sir?
JOY: Exit 323.
It seemed like forever until the police got there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you at now?
JOY: Exit 336.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 336.
JOY: We just passed it. Is anybody coming? When we were alongside him, we couldn't see any kids and that's why we weren't sure. And then when we pulled back and were behind him, we kept seeing him put his hand back, I believe probably to get the kids down so people wouldn't be looking for that.
Yes, there's definitely kids in there.
My wife, right before they got there, had told me that he was a murderer and I was like OK, then why are we following so close?
CAVITT: It seemed like forever, but about 10 miles down the road the cops caught up.
JOY: OK, he's got it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you right behind it?
JOY: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
JOY: Oh, good, yes! Awesome.
CAVITT: A trooper would later spin out the SUV. Jerry Jones shot himself in the face. Police rescued the three kids.
JOY: It was a blessing that those kids were safe, those three girls. I don't know, there's no reward for me other than knowing that I did the right thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAN MIGUEL: That report from Ross Cavitt of CNN affiliate WSB in Atlanta.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
