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DR. DREW
Twenty-Four Hurt in Stabbing Spree at PA School; Ignored 9-Year-Old Dies, Begged for Help
Aired April 9, 2014 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, a 9-year-old kicked to death. Why didn`t anyone including the police do something?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys, you seem like a good family. Decent family. I`m going to overlook it right now.
PINSKY: We`ve got the 911 call that will shock you.
Plus, the nursing home strippers part 2.
And more on the mcnaked rampage through McDonald`s.
Let`s get started.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: I`m joined by my co-host Jenny Hutt from Sirius XM Radio.
And coming up, we now know why that woman was running naked, mcnaked through a McDonald`s. We have the diagnosis. Let`s just say I pretty much nailed that one last night.
But, first, breaking news -- cops say a 16-year-old armed with two kitchen knives went on a stabbing spree at his high school. Thankfully, no one died, but many, many injuries and a few kids in ICU, some rushed to emergency surgery.
Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POLICE DISPATCH: Come in the front doors, we`re in the first hallway on your right, come halfway down. We`ve got multiple victims here. We need ambulances here as soon as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This bloody attack this morning at a high school. This was just outside of Pittsburgh. That left 20 people injured.
POLICE DISPATCH: We advise the suspect is in custody, only one suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MSTUDENT: He`s kind of quiet. And he keeps to himself. I don`t think anyone really dislikes him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He allegedly went from classroom to classroom, through the hallways, stabbing anyone in his way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw people holding each other`s hands. I saw people being cut. Just blood everywhere.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PINSY: A boy had been called a hero for having pulled the fire alarm. Actually took a selfie of himself at the hospital. Look at this video. He captioned it, "chillin` at children`s." And right now, he has over 10,000 likes. I have mixed feelings about it.
Joining us, HLN`s Lynn Berry, Michelle Fields, correspondent for PJ Media, Samantha Schacher, host of "Pop Trigger."
So, guys, Lynn, the kid`s a hero because he ran to people`s aid and thought quickly and pulled the fire alarm. But now, the selfie while he`s just out of surgery. Appropriate or not?
LYNN BERRY, HLN HOST: Well, here`s the thing. I personally think this is a generational gap. Dr. Drew, for us, tacky. Horrible. Too soon. What are you thinking?
If I was this kid`s parent, I`d be sitting him down and saying this is your reaction? Not let me write a letter to the victims in hospitals recovering, that my prayers are with you, just like I`m lucky to be alive and happy to help you.
But a 16-year-old kid these days, this is what they do.
SAMANTHA SCHACHER, POP TRIGGER: Right.
BERRY: They post selfies and it`s not a selfie. It`s how they communicate to their friends. Texting. Selfies.
At the expense of sounding like the old lady in the corner, this is what kids do these days. I just think it`s a generational gap.
PINSKY: Let`s move on from grandma -- let`s move on from grandma.
Michelle, my understanding, though, is there`s some data out now that shows the propensity to use selfie is associated with self-preoccupation, with narcissism. Not saying this kid is that.
We are seeing a correlation with those kinds of things.
MICHELLE FIELDS, PJ MEDIA: You`re right. A lot of people don`t like selfies because a lot of people think who take selfies are self-centered. They`re selfish.
But look at what this kid did -- he saved lives. And so, that is absolutely the opposite of selfishness. What selfies are is a way to communicate quickly, rapidly. When he posted this picture, what he was doing was telling his loved ones, his friends, his family, that he`s OK, that he`s fine, and he`s in good spirits. I don`t see why we should condemn him.
PINSKY: I like that.
Jenny, what do you say?
JENNY HUTT, CO-HOST: Totally. Yes, as the old lady in the corner, Dr. Drew, I`m a fan of the selfie generation. I would have probably posted that selfie and I commend him for doing what he did.
And this is how he`s processing, Dr. Drew. I think. I`m not a clinician. I feel like this is his way of saying, I`m OK, look at where I am. And this is how he`s going to start to go through it.
Who are we to tell him how he has to do it?
PINSKY: Well, we do that all the time.
But, Sam, just last week, we were taking issue with a couple girls taking a selfie at a riot.
SCHACHER: Right. Outside of the Arizona basketball game.
PINSKY: There they are. Is that a different phenomenon? Is this -- are we just seeing something that`s evolving?
SCHACHER: Well, I think that case was a little bit different, to be honest with you. But I think what everybody else said on the panel, I mean, it`s no coincidence people describe this younger generation as the selfie generation. And going on what everybody else is saying, I think that this is a form of communication.
But more importantly, Dr. Drew, maybe he was looking for consolation from his peers. Maybe he was trying to start a dialogue because of what was so traumatic. Yes, you can say he should have maybe called someone on the phone but maybe it`s easier just to communicate via Instagram or Twitter with his friends. That`s what they do.
PINSKY: Fair enough. So, let`s get away from the grandmas for a second.
Michelle, let me ask you this. They were charging this kid, 16-year-old as an adult. Was that a rush to charge? Should they be charging him as an adult?
FIELDS: No. I think they absolutely should be charging him as an adult. Look, this isn`t a kid who went and stole bubble gum from the supermarket. This is a kid who went on a stabbing spree.
If you are 16 or older, and you commit a crime as heinous, as awful as this, you absolutely should be subject to all of the penalties that adults are.
PINSKY: And let`s also -- what`s that, Sam?
SCHACHER: I don`t agree with that. Listen, yes, this is a heinous crime. We don`t know all the details. A lot of people described him as being withdrawn. People said during the stabbing -- believe me, I`m not excusing --
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Sam, wouldn`t you have liked an opportunity to charge Adam Lanza as an adult? Maybe we have that kind of a phenomena going on here. I don`t know.
SCHACHER: More importantly, does our government need to put in just as much resources into mental health care and education to break this stigma? Just like they do with terrorism. Because guess what, just as many people are being killed -- hold on.
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Singing to the choir, guys. I got to get out. Listen.
SCHACHER: I think this kid was suffering from a severe mental illness. Obviously.
FIELDS: All the time, they`re sick. They put them in hospitals. Sometimes people are evil and they should be in jail.
SCHACHER: I agree with that, too.
PINSKY: The point is, I agree with Sam, and that we should be getting people help before the behavior deteriorates to the point they need to be in jail. That`s the point there and a good one.
Next, a 9-year-old boy cries for help. He`s ignored. Now, he`s dead.
So, who dropped the ball? That poor kid is who we`re talking about.
And later, there`s breaking news about Amanda Bynes. I`ll have that for you, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PINSKY: Back with Jenny, Lynn, Michelle, and Sam.
A 9-year-old boy dead. His own mother says she stomped and kicked him. A few months before cops had been called to the house because of a disturbing 911 call. And nothing was done. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OMAREE: Stop!
STEPDAD: Shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) before I really (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pop you hard, man. You make everybody sick around you, Omaree. Everybody!
You make me and your mom (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sick, man!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone apparently called 911 from this home by accident. The (INAUDIBLE) video begins with two officers arriving on scene.
OFFICER: The 911 lady sent me a call. She said if I want to hear the call how bad it was.
UNIDENTIFEID FEMALE: The video shows Varela-Casaus and the boy`s step bad, Steve Casaus, giving police all kinds of excuses.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you yelling pretty good?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he was yelling at me because --
STEPDAD: You make everybody sick around you, Omaree.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All my baby was saying --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just eight months earlier, police and CYFD looked into other possible abuse of Omaree Varela when a teacher noticed cuts and bruises on the boy. Omaree was killed in December, allegedly kicked to death by his mother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did not write a report in this case. The officer never went to 911. That`s concerning to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seemed like a good family. Decent family. Be careful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PINSKY: (INAUDIBLE) has now been fired. Another has been suspended.
Lynn, can you give us any updates?
BERRY: This story has made me cringe all day. Any time someone is associated with hurting a child, there is a special place in hell for them.
One officer has been fired. One officer has been suspended. The police union says, listen, these are guys who have no disciplinary record. There`s no reason they should be fired or suspended.
But here`s what at stake here. They were called to this house and the 911 operator said to them, listen to this 911 call. One of the babies in the house had pressed the emergency button so they could hear this argument when the parents didn`t know it was being recorded.
The police officers allegedly did not listen to that call. They stood there. I could not stop watching their shoulder cam, because they were listening to the stories by the parents and the parents are going on and on about how they were just upset about a Coke spilling in their van. They had a hard day. So, maybe they lost their temper. Like, hey, you know what, just tamper it down because you never know if someone is going to turn you in.
To not follow on this, when you find out later the families have the long rap sheet. Mom actually had that son in jail. When you don`t follow-up, red flags are everywhere, there needs to be something done because there`s a 9-year-old little boy that is dead as a result of action not being taken.
PINSKY: But, Sam, Lynn gives a compelling argument, but police make mistakes. These guys lied and BS`d their way through the interview.
Listen, we have to fire every cop that makes a mistake, or can we educate them to do a better job?
SCHACHER: Of course, you can educate them to do a better job. But it`s a no brainer that when somebody tells you, hey, I`m sending you to this home because we have this very violent confrontation recorded and to make sure that you listen to that recording, and then they don`t even listen to it, knowing that a child is involved, Dr. Drew, they`re supposed to be the voice for the child. They`re supposed to protect the child. And they did not do that.
And Lynn is absolutely right. This the 9-year-old Omaree should still be alive today.
And what the hell -- this mom had been arrested 35 times? Is that not enough to pull the kid out of the house on that, alone?
PINSKY: And not only that -- go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
PINSKY: Go ahead, Lynn.
BERRY: Well, just say the state had been called to that house a number of times.
SCHACHER: Right.
BERRY: I`m just not saying the cops are only at fault here. Whoever is supposed to be protecting children that are not being protected by their parents --
PINSKY: What would have happened, the child died like six or nine months after this footage was recorded. They would have taken the child out and would have put the child back in that home.
These people are -- there are drug charges mostly, Sam, as I understand. There`s addiction all over the place. Their behavior is unpredictable. It would have happened anyway.
SCHACHER: Showing up to school with cuts and bruises and burns. When is not enough enough?
(CROSSTALK)
SCHACHER: Yes, child protective services had been alerted nine times. They dropped the ball, too.
BERRY: Yes, and they never did anything.
SCHACHER: Both of them dropped the ball.
PINSKY: All right.
BERRY: Dr. Drew, I hear your argument here because the system in general is broken, because you`re right.
PINSKY: It`s not just broken. Hey, Lynn, it`s not just broken. It`s overwhelmed. Maybe there`s something more than a system we need to look at.
Michelle, you know what I`m talking about here. Systems can`t always solve these problems and to make the system -- to expect the system to be perfect is completely unrealistic. Particularly when it`s so profoundly overwhelmed. Michelle, what do you say?
FIELDS: Well, look, I think that these cops, they should have their pensions taken away, their retirement, everything, because it`s their laziness that this child is dead.
Imagine what this child felt. He calls the cops hoping that the cops would protect him. The cops came to the house. They acted like everything is OK. They believed everything the parents said. They never once pulled the child aside and one-on-one and talked to the child. That is just absolutely --
(CROSSTALK)
FIELDS: They didn`t want to fill out paperwork.
PINSKY: Well, I`m not sure -- listen, on the phone I`ve got Sam Bregman. He`s the attorney for the officer that was fired.
And, Mr. Bregman, do you believe the mistakes were made? And do you understand -- I think -- I`m saying these officers are busy. So they made a mistake. Educate them. Make them do a better job. But fire them?
SAM BREGMAN, FIRED OFFICER`S ATTORNEY (via telephone): Listen, everybody - - it`s nice to be on your show. Everybody feels terrible. Terrible. Outraged by the death of Omaree.
But let`s be clear. The police in this particular instance are the -- especially my client, is a sacraficial lamb thrown under the bus by the chief of police because of the media on this. Let`s be clear about this.
A couple of thoughts, one is -- first of all, it was an open phone call. It was a 911, but it was open phone. They didn`t know where it was. My client, a police officer for seven years, a darn good cop without any discipline, in fact, officer of the month --
(CROSSTALK)
BREGMAN: Let me keep going. And basically they found the house where this phone was coming from. They go in. They see absolutely no evidence of child abuse. They`re not going to stop before they`re looking for this child and listen to 911 call.
SCHACHER: Why, why not?
PINSKY: Because they didn`t know it was his house.
BREGMAN: Afterwards, maybe so.
(CROSSTALK)
HUTT: Doctor, why didn`t they --
PINSKY: Jenny.
FIELDS: -- talk one-on-one with the child?
BREGMAN: Listen, this child had clear eyes, no evidence whatsoever of any abuse at the time.
And, you know, you all mentioned laziness. These police officers work their tail off just to find that residence. So, that`s a misinformation. It`s a bad statement.
HUTT: Hold on.
FIELDS: To find the house? They don`t have Google Maps? You`re acting like it`s a big deal.
PINSKY: Who`s that?
BREGMAN: It`s a big deal when a good cop gets fired wrongfully. It`s a very big deal.
PINSKY: I agree with him, you guys. I understand -- it`s a horrible situation, but how about the parents that killed the kid? How about that?
HUTT: Dr. Drew?
PINSKY: Yes, Jenny.
HUTT: The parents are clearly awful damaged, horrible, evil people who shouldn`t have had children. We`ll start with that. But the cops, after they went to the house -- hold on. This is what I think. This is what I think.
(CROSSTALK)
BREGMAN: Shows up and says I think there`s an open phone call. They don`t know that.
HUTT: Can I ask a question? Let me ask a question. Wait. Here`s a question.
BREGMAN: What with do know, though -- they`re the ones who should be in trouble for this.
HUTT: Excuse me, why when they left --
BREGMAN: Of course, the mother who did this awful, awful thing.
PINSKY: Yes? Jenny, go.
HUTT: Why, when the officers left, why didn`t they do their due diligence and listen to the taped conversation to see that it was a bait and switch situation? That these people played the cops? Why didn`t they listen to tape when they left?
BREGMAN: Listen, the 911 tape does not show child abuse. It shows awful language. Under the statutes in New Mexico, people yelling at their kids in a terrible way is not a crime.
HUTT: Check deeper. It`s enough to check deeper into what was going on.
SCHACHER: Can I ask Sam a question? Sam?
PINSKY: We`ll call him Mr. Bregman so as not to confuse the Sams here. Go ahead. Mr. Bregman --
SCHACHER: Mr. Bregman, did your client follow protocol and at least file a report? Did he --
BREGMAN: Let`s talk about protocol. Every time you come in contact with a citizen, you are not required to file a police report.
SCHACHER: When a child is --
(CROSSTALK)
BREGMAN: What was the police report going to say? I went to the house and there was no evidence of child abuse. I guarantee you that would not have stopped the death, this awful death of the child.
PINKSY: I think -- you guys, we`re going to have to leave it right there. I think that --
SCHACHER: No accountability.
PINSKY: Sam, I think that is what`s at issue here. I`m a little confused by all the blame on the system which is trying to help when we have parents that are unable to parent. Isn`t that really what`s at issue here? And unable to parent, they murder their own children. That`s our problem. Not the people that are out there trying to help.
I don`t know. Call me crazy.
SCHACHER: All of it.
PINSKY: Thank you, guys. Thank you, Mr. Bregman. Thank you, panel.
Next up, mom has a rap sheet. Child services didn`t respond, either. Got a behavior bureau who`s going to take a look at the child services element in all this. Not just the police. CPS had something to do with it as well.
And, by the way, they`re overwhelmed, too. They can`t get -- probably had 20 calls like this one that day.
And later, girl says she is too drunk to care. That`s what a young woman tweeted before a car wreck with her at the wheel that ended in deaths.
Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPDAD: I could beat the life out of you, shut up! That is not a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) rugburn.
MOM: It`s not a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) bruise either. That`s not a bruise. That doesn`t hurt.
STEPDAD: You`re a (EXPLETIVE DELETED), everything hurts you.
MOM: How can it hurt you one day and not hurt you the next day, Omaree? It doesn`t, does it? You just want attention.
OMAREE: Stop!
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
STEPDAD: Shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) before I really (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pop you hard, man.
MOM: You caused this on yourself, Omaree.
STEPDAD: I`ve never hated nobody like you in my life, ever. You know that, Omaree? I hate you more than I hate anybody no my whole life. And I`ve been on this earth 41 years and nobody`s ever made me (EXPLETIVE DELETED) feel the way you do, Omaree, ever!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PINSKY: Wow.
Back with Jenny.
That was the 911 call that prompted the visit by police.
Parents were able to lie their way out of this or manipulate their way out, whatever it is they did to those cops. So, nothing was done.
Six months later, the mom whom you heard in the tape, admitted to kicking that 9-year-old kid, Omaree, I guess we`re talking art here, is that right, jenny? Omaree is the kid`s name.
HUTT: Yes, Omaree.
PINSKY: Kicking the 9-year-old to death. That would be appropriate. That would be very appropriate.
Let`s bring in a behavior bureau.
Tiffanie Davis Henry, HLN contributor and psychotherapist, Judy Ho, clinical psychologist, professor at Pepperdine University. Erica America, Z100 radio personality and psychotherapist.
Erica, you had a strong reaction to this story. What are you thinking?
ERICA AMERICA, Z100 RADIO: Dr. Drew, I`ve been on the show a while. I`ve never been so passionate about any story we`ve done until this one.
The way the police handled this case was so horrifying, I don`t know if you watched the full 15-minute lapel video, not the one on the news clip, the full one. The first horror was that he did not take the time to listen to the 911 tape, to see the severity of the child abuse -- alleged abuse allegation. He then moseys up to the house, and this sweetest cop I`ve ever seen in my life literally lets the suspects tell him exactly what he wants to hear and just takes their word for it.
The poor boy called 911 by himself, probably. Of course he`s not going to be able to say anything.
And the fact that you think that two abusers are going to tell on themselves, not only should these two people be fired, they should be somehow to blame for this boy`s death. I mean, it`s insane.
That lawyer was ridiculous you just had on before. To have the audacity --
PINSKY: I just hate the idea that people who try to help have to be held criminally accountable for other people`s criminal behavior.
HUTT: They didn`t try to help.
PINSKY: Yes, they did try to help. They dropped the ball. I`ll grant you that. They made mistakes.
That does not -- they weren`t criminally negligent. They didn`t -- Judy, help me out here. Then, Tiffanie. CPS -- Judy, what do you say to this?
JUDY HO, PSYCHOLOGIST: OK. Well, you know, Dr. Drew, you brought up CPS. And, you know, CPS is the other piece in this story. They had nine different report and it slipped through their fingers as well.
But yes, as you know, this is not the first time CPS has failed. I don`t want to blame the system but the system broken. There are a lot of things happening within the system that are kind of out of the control of even the administrators of the system.
So, for example, there`s so much overturn in the system because it is a very stressful job. So a lot of people who are CPS workers have only been there for a few months. They`re not very well trained. They tend to be young and they tend to be more susceptible to these parents` reports.
And they`re not following it --
PINSKY: Yes, yes.
HO: And they`re not following protocol, because they should interview everybody individually. And, oftentimes when they look back on the reporting --
PINSKY: So, the system, again, the child protection system is flawed. Tiffanie, am I insane for taking issue with making, helping professionals criminally responsible for other people`s criminal behavior?
TIFFANIE DAVIS HENRY, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: I wouldn`t call you insane, Dr. Drew. I would never, ever do that.
However, I agree with you -- I agree with you that they did drop the ball in a major, major way. You know, this is the second 911 call that`s come from Omaree from the house in the last year. So, he`s had those nine reports from CPS. This is the second call to the house. Numerous teachers have reported. You know, they`re seeing scrapes and bruises.
And, ultimately, the mom`s excuse is I`ve kicked him the wrong way.
I`m sorry, I didn`t know there was a right way to kick your child. I didn`t know the police could come to your house and talk your way out of it and it`s OK. The biggest ball I think was dropped here was that they didn`t get the child by himself and ask him those important questions.
PINSKY: But remember, you guys are all nodding your heads, but that doesn`t mean the child would have said anything. They`re mortified, these children are terrorized. They`re fearful things are going to get worse.
HO: But they shouldn`t have left him after 15 minutes of an interview. I mean, this is the police again. Right? Fifteen minutes and said it was 2 hours.
PINSKY: All right. Listen, I want to bring in a law enforcement officer, Sheriff Richard Jones.
Sheriff Jones, help sell this for me. Am I wrong to think the way I`m thinking and my panelists are simply right, or is there sort of a gray zone here?
SHERIFF JONES, LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERT(via telephone): Well, you`re half right. Half full, half empty.
(LAUGHTER)
JONES: Basically -- hey, no offense. Listen, the police came in. They dropped the ball in a major way, as you said. You separate the child from the parent.
These parents weren`t, like, they didn`t go to church every day. They had, like, 25 arrests between the two of them.
HUTT: Exactly.
JONES: And, I mean, they weren`t, like, churchgoers and real nice people. These are bad people.
PINSKY: Yes.
JONES: The child -- in the United States, Child Support Services is a really tough place. They don`t have enough --
PINSKY: Yes, yes.
JONES: I mean, it`s totally stressed out. There`s a big turnover.
PINSKY: Yes.
JONES: And these people have more experience in telling lies than the people in children`s services.
HENRY: Exactly.
JONES: The police didn`t spend enough time with them. You have 24 hours. They have 24-hour removal. They can remove these kids.
The police get there, make the phone call. They can only and take the children away.
We in the United States, there`s -- they`re going from state to state to try to find childcare. Then when they take them away from the parents, they give them back. It doesn`t matter.
PINSKY: Yes, that`s my point. You know that kid was going to go back to these monsters.
JONES: Should have taken them away just for a little while. But that child, those police officers should not be charged criminally. They should not be -- they should be suspended, fired, they should be disciplined.
PINSKY: Disciplined and educated.
Why get rid of what seemed to be quality guys in the force? That`s all I`m saying.
But, Sheriff, I will take your word for it and that settles my score for the evening on this particular topic.
Thank you, panelists.
Next, you are going to hear from a woman in this picture. She is going to tell us that she seems to be smiling. There she is. She has an interesting look on our face. She is going to tell us about those male strippers at the nursing home. She is related to somebody in one of those pictures, too. Interesting ways.
And later, Amanda Bynes` mother is speaking out. She says her daughter was, quote, never mentally ill. I have got some questions about that. We will get into it after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. DREW (voice-over): The nursing home being sued because of this. A male strip show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNICE YOUNGBLOOD, NURSING HOME PATIENT: I felt terrible. I was shaking and going on. He told me what he was to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: That is how 85-year-old Bernice Youngblood describes this. It is Youngblood putting money into a nearly naked stripper`s underwear. Something her nurses told her to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNGBLOOD: They tell me what to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: Youngblood`s son, Franklin, found out about the incident when he discovered the shocking photo in his mom`s drawer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKLIN YOUNGBLOOD, BERNICE YOUNGBLOOD`S SON: It is too much sex and craziness going on. Now, they are bringing it to the nursing home.
HENRY: If grandma was consenting, wanted to be there, if she wanted to tip for the strip, I do not have a problem with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PINSKY: Back with Jenny, Tiffanie, Michelle and Sam. That elderly woman says the nursing home staff forced her to participate in the event with the male strippers and she now feels terrible.
Attorneys for the nursing home insist it was the residents, themselves, who voted for the event and attendance was optional. Tiffanie, you say grandma, if she wanted to go to the stripper show, she should. Was she lucid enough to make that sort of a request?
HENRY: And I think that was the big question here and how do we -- if she was lucid then? Is she lucid now? She is saying that this is how she felt at the time. But, according to the report, she has dementia. There is conflicting whether it is partial dementia or if she has had advanced dementia.
We do not know what that is and what her state of mind was at that time or what her state of mind is now. So, it is hard to say if what she is feeling today is how she felt in that moment.
PINSKY: Right. I think people have a hard time understanding. With dementia, I was trying to explain it. People can be like Swiss cheese. And, certain areas there is severe dysfunction. There is nothing going on. Other areas, they seem kind of lucid and can reason about things and may remember things very clearly but they distort a lot. Sam, do you want to say something here?
SCHACHER: Yes. I have a question. So, if someone is suffering from dementia or partial dementia, are they lucid in the present moment? Are they able to communicate --
PINSKY: Yes. It is Swiss cheese. Swiss cheesy. Sometimes they may not understand what is going on. Other times they may understand it clearly and have specific -- the real question here was this woman on some sort of conservatorship, power of attorney? That is where the rubber hit the road on this, is why they were not consulted.
The photo we are looking at also shows this woman. Take a look at it. She is the girlfriend of the son. Right under there. She is the girlfriend on the son. She was there. How is it the son did not know about it? Jenny?
HUTT: Yes. OK. So, they are saying that the son discovered this from a picture? So his girlfriend did not say --
SCHACHER: Right.
HUTT: By the way, tonight at the home, there was a stripper there, honey.
SCHACHER: And, why did not she remove her from the situation? Why is not she standing up?
PINSKY: This is representative of the family there. But, look. Hey, earlier today reporters confronted her about this. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKLIN`S GIRLFRIEND: That was not a smile. That was not a smile.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: What was it?
FRANKLIN GIRLFRIEND: It was not a smile. I had no right to -- it was not, you know, the event was not my event.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: The question -- the reporters, Michelle, were questioning whether or not she was enjoying it because she had this funny look on her face. She is saying it was a grimace. What do you say, Michelle?
FIELDS: I think she is lying. I think Franklin, what he sees, he sees dollar signs. That is what it is because that looks like a smile to me. And, honestly, Dr. Drew, I just hope that this nursing home is around when I am an old lady because this is where I want my future kids to put me.
If she was so traumatized about these men, why did she have a photo lying around to remind her about it? This is just about money, this is a frivolous lawsuit. It is just -- it is bogus. It is garbage.
HUTT: I agree.
PINSKY: I am just wondering if you ladies are going to sign off on a home for men with women`s female strippers as enthusiastically as you are for the male strippers?
FIELDS: Sure.
PINSKY: But, anyway, on the phone --
FIELDS: Well, I think -- I actually think -- wait, wait, wait, Dr. Drew, I think if these were men, this would not even be a story. It would not -- People would just laugh at it and be, "Oh, ha, ha." But, that is women, all of a sudden they are vulnerable and being taken advantage of.
PINSKY: By the way -- Clinically, for the men, it is more of an issue because when men get dementia, they get hypersexual. And, we try to contain that rather than inflame it. So, it is actually a worse thing for the men sometimes. On the phone, I got Vess Mitev. He is the attorney for the Youngblood family. Vess, you heard what my panel was saying here. What about that?
VESS MITEV, YOUNGBLOOD FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, doctor, thanks for having me. First of all, I take real issue with any claim that this is a frivolous lawsuit. It is not. The fact is that human depravity knows no bounds. This is the quintessential example of it.
FIELDS: Oh, please.
MITEV: We always say, you know, I wish we had a picture and smoking gun. Well, we do have a picture and we do have a smoking gun and in fact --
FIELDS: Oh, the girlfriend -- I have a question.
MITEV: Nothing to do with the girlfriend. What it has to do with is, is this frail 85-year-old woman who spent her entire life taking care of other people, she is in that photo being completely taken advantage of --
FIELDS: She was having fun.
MITEV: -- Being completely subsumed by this hulky brawny man. She did not have the capacity --
PINSKY: Vess -- You said something yesterday. I am going to ask you. It is sort of rearticulate today, which was what I found disturbing. You believe that this was carried out for some sort of perverse enjoyment of the staff?
MITEV: Absolutely. And, then the evidence suggests that, doctor. She did not have access to her own money. The orderlies and the workers had to get her money out of her commissary account and then they forced this woman to put the money in the stripper`s underwear.
PINSKY: All right, forced her. Michelle? Hang on, Vess. Michelle, go ahead.
FIELDS: I have a question. In your complaint, you claim that Franklin has suffered injuries, and emotional extreme stress and mental stress. Do not you think that is a little bit of a stretch?
MITEV: Absolutely not. Seeing his mother in such a state, it is shocking. It is perverse as any loving son would. If that was my mother, if that is Dr. Drew`s mother, we would feel the same way. This is not what he signed up for. He did not put this 84-year-old Baptist woman --
FIELDS: Come on. This is why people do not like lawyers.
MITEV: He did not do that -- By the way, there is never -- we always talk about taking care of our elderly. In New York, it is a felony to do what these people did.
FIELDS: She was having a good time.
HUTT: Taking care of her. She was provided with entertainment.
PINSKY: I got to leave it there. Vess, thanks for joining us. Now, we have the reason behind the Mcnaked rampage at the McDonald`s. I will tell you about that. And, later, this young woman is charged in two deaths. Her words just before the deaths, quote, "Too drunk to care." Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PINSKY: A crazed topless woman destroying the interior of McDonald`s restaurant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 FEMALE OPERATOR: What is going on there?
MALE CALLER, MCDONALD CREW: Somebody just came in our store and started wrecking everything.
DR. DREW, (voice-over): It is a brain misfire.
911 FEMALE OPERATOR: What does she look like?
MALE CALLER: She is topless in her panties. She has blond hair.
911 FEMALE OPERATOR: He is at McDonald now on 66. She is inside wrecking everything.
DR. DREW (voice-over): We are looking at a medical problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINSKY: Now, back with Jenny and the behavior bureau, Tiffanie, Judy and Erica. That woman is identified as 41-year-old Sandra Suarez. She says -- she reports that she has bipolar disorder and as people when they become manic, which is clearly what she was, she has no memory of the events of that day and destroying the McDonald`s.
Now, a lot of people have been tweeting me asking if the woman was on bath salts. So, Judy, we have to make people understand that chemical use and withdrawal and masquerade as major psychiatric illness including depression and manias and psychotic issues. If you are bipolar and you know you have bipolar and you get into this sort of a state, that is just mania.
HO: That is right. So, you know, what the audience has been asking about is, you know, things like amphetamine psychosis. When people use meth they can get into a psychotic state.
PINSKY: Just like it.
HO: But, in this woman`s state -- absolutely, they look exactly the same with the delusions and all that. But, when somebody is bipolar and they have severe mania especially if they have the bipolar with psychotic features, this is part of the mental illness and has nothing to do with drugs.
PINSKY: Right. And, she can function normally on medication her whole life. This does not have to keep happening. I would remind everybody about -- remember the leader of the Kony 2012 project? He was found out in San Diego having thrown his clothes off.
He was in another -- if I were teaching a course to medical students on mania, I would show that video and I would show this woman`s video and go, that is it, that is mania. That is what it looks like. They are often hypersexual. He was masturbating when he was doing this.
This McDonald`s woman was offering oral sex to a guy, got turned down and now went out on a rampage. She did not know what she was doing. But, they are hypersexual. They do bizarre things. They often throw their clothes off and they have no recollection of what is happening. It is like having a seizure. Erica?
AMERICA: Yes. On a lighter note, Dr. Drew, my question is with the people standing around, why did not they stop her? Unless she had a weapon in her thong. I am sorry, the girl was butt naked. She totally could have been apprehended. It went on and on and on.
HO: Right. That was really weird, Erica. Because, you see these people meandering. Yes, you see people meandering on the sidelines, right? What Erica was saying --
AMERICA: Maybe it is a bystander effect.
PINSKY: Bystander effect. But, Tiffanie, the more disturbing thing is they took video of this and kind of watched her and then put the videos up online for all to see to further humiliate this poor woman who has a treatable condition.
HENRY: And, those employees were fired and they should have been. This was an episode that this woman was having. Clearly not well. Clearly should not have been posted online.
PINSKY: Erica?
AMERICA: Yes. Just wanted to say it could have gone further and she could have hurt herself. So, I think she should have been restrained earlier.
PINSKY: Well, hopefully, you wish. Anyway, thank you.
HUTT: I think --
HO: I think her being naked kept her from being restrained, though.
PINSKY: The people do not want to be accused of something, understand what they are seeing. It is scary. I am just saying, yes, she should have been restrained. Everyone would have been, including her, a lot happier.
Next, speaking this sort of difficult to understand behaviour, Amanda Bynes` mother is talking about her daughter and what went wrong all those months ago. We will get a panel together and analyze her comments. Remember, you can find us any time on Instagram @drdrewhln. We will be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PINSKY: Back with Jenny and our behavior bureau, Tiffanie, Erica, and Sam. We have breaking news in the world of Amanda Bynes. And, now I am glad she is doing well and I hope she continues to do well. She is clearly vastly improved from when her behavior seemed so bizarre.
And, her mom now is denying that Amanda has any mental illness whatsoever saying, quote, "She has never been diagnosed as schizophrenic or bipolar." And, by the way, let us remind her, she is entitled not to say anything about her diagnosis if she does not want to. I mean she is entitled to confidential health care.
But, Erica, she is saying, Erica, she does not have these things. The mom also apologized on her daughter`s behalf for, quote, "Hurtful tweets, statements and actions that occurred while under the influence of marijuana." Now, you might remember that I was one of the -- go ahead, Erica. What are you going to say?
AMERICA: No. I was just going to say, Dr. Drew, this is something we have been blogging about recently that Amanda Bynes on the outside seems to be doing much better. She enrolled in school.
PINSKY: Yes.
AMERICA: She recently went to Mexico with her family. She is looking better. So, I do not know why they put out this statement. I agree with you and this is why I love you, Dr. Drew. Nobody has to talk about her mental illness at all. After Britney had her breakdown, or whatever you want to call it, I love her.
In 2007, she did not come out and say, I have this or have that. She does not have to. So, all I am saying is I respect and am glad Amanda is doing better and I do not need to hear what she has.
PINSKY: All right.
AMERICA: But, the only question that I would have for you, Dr. Drew, is abuse of marijuana would dressing up sort of in wigs and tweeting things you do not mean, is that something that is usually, you know, a product of that?
PINSKY: Not unless it triggers -- it can trigger a more serious mental illness, but then that is got a name. And it is usually -- I do not know what -- maybe it is not bipolar, not schizophrenia, but it is mental illness. Now, we have got a statement from Amanda is attorney.
She says -- the attorney says she has been marijuana-free for nine months. This past summer Amanda`s parents were granted temporary conservatorship of her. Now, Tiffanie, I have never -- have you ever heard of a conservatorship for cannabis? I never, ever, ever -- I have never even heard it considered unless the cannabis triggered a major mental illness.
HENRY: Never. And that was my -- that was my next point is that this could be subinduced mental illness which is certainly a thing and certainly diagnosable. That is OK. If that is what she had, that is what she had. That is OK. There is a lot of people who walk around in use of a particular substance and end up psychotic or depressed or suicidal or manic.
PINSKY: That is right.
HENRY: That is OK. It is a as a result of substances.
PINSKY: That is a diagnosis of a major mental illness. Sam?
SCHACHER: Right. Yes. And, Dr. Drew, she was in treatment for nearly six months. I cannot imagine her doctors making sure that she underwent treatment for marijuana. So, I definitely think there is something --
PINSKY: Not for six months. Not for six months.
SCHACHER: Right. Of course. And, granted a conservatorship -- absolutely as you stated. But, according to the attorney, the reason why he released this statement is because he said Amanda wanted to set the record straight that she was not suffering from any sort of mental illness and that she was on zero medication.
PINSKY: All right. Well, she could be on zero medication. It is possible. Could be a recovery. Jenny, last words.
SCHACHER: Maybe they are afraid of the stigma.
HUTT: But. Dr. Drew -- Dr. Drew --
PINSKY: Jenny?
HUTT: Do not you feel like by their coming out and saying she does not have schizophrenia, she does not have bipolar, does not have this, it opens the door to the conversation, what does she have?
PINSKY: Right. I agree, they should just --
HUTT: Clinically, it does not seem like --
PINSKY: They do not have to say anything. Yes, now start trying to push it -- the problem is pushing it on the pot is going to create the conversation because it is clearly not -- I have never heard of such a thing. You know, between me and Tiffanie and Erica, we have had years an years and years of experience.
I have certainly referred parents to get conservatorship for their children many times. They rarely do. They hats off to her parents for having done it, by the way. That is why Amanda is well. All right. Got to break. This woman predicted on twitter something bad was going to happen, and it did. We will get to it after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER (voice-over): Hiding under the sheet is 21- year-old Kayla Mendoza. She is now facing charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and driving without a license. Her car slammed into the car, Kaitlyn Ferrante and Marisa Catronio were in. The two were best friends and both were killed in crash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: No family should endure this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER (voice-over): A short time before the deadly crash, she tweeted, too drunk to care.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: This young lady is going to suffer the consequences of her actions and her statements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PINSKY: Back with Tiffanie, Erica and Sam. We are talking about 20-year- old woman who called herself, quote, "The pot-head princess online." Just hours before Kayla Mendoza allegedly called a deadly head-on crash, she was tweeting, quote, "Too drunk to care."
Not shy about her drug and alcohol use, she also tweeted, quote, "My car permanently smells like weed" and quote, "I have a test at 8:00 a.m. Why am I drunk right now?", unquote. Tiffanie, it is sad. It is reckless. But, it is addiction.
HENRY: Yes, it is addiction. I wonder if now she gets it. I wonder if now she cares. She not only killed two people. She also had brain injuries and broken bones and looking at jail time. So, I am wondering is she care -- If this was enough to make her care now.
PINSKY: Erica, last word.
AMERICA: Yes. I think, you know, it was a horrible mistake with tragic consequences. But, I think we do not need to crucify her. And, that she is going to be living in hell the rest of her life. She might not be able to walk.
PINSKY: No. We cannot. Even I am sympathetic. But, we cannot crucify her. I think she is got to focus on her treatment and make things right. "Forensic Files" starts right now.
END
