Tammi Smith Released From Jail Raw Interview
From 0:35
http://www.kpho.com/video/22421326/index.html
Reporter: Tammi, how, how are ya?
TS: So bright. (laughs) How am I? (laughs). Let me think about that a minute. Um , Im just like, getting out of there. Um, Im sorry, give me a second. Im just like totally, I havent had anything to eat or drink since, what, Monday morning? What day is it?
JS: Tuesday.
Reporter: Its Wednesday.
TS: Its at night or something. Its Wednesday?
JS: Its Wednesday?
Reporter: Its Wednesday morning.
JS: Oh, okay, I forgot.
TS: So, Tuesday morning? Okay. Im like so dry, I cant even talk (Laughs).
Reporter: What was your experience like inside?
TS: Um, it was really cold. It was really cold, and, um, sitting on cement, basically the whole time. So, sad for all those people in there.
Reporter: I know yesterday, you, um, claimed your innocence as you were walking in. Is that still what you stand by?
TS: Of course, absolutely.
Reporter: What are your thoughts about the charges that are being brought up upon you?
TS: Um, we pretty much already knew those charges, that were going to be brought up. We just didnt know when. Um, you know, those are charges that, that Tempe Police Department is trying to create a case. Um, because of the whole Craig Cherry thing. Um, by law, they could arrest me. Um, doesnt mean those charges are gonna stick, doesnt mean those charges are true, but, nevertheless, they were able to do that, cause theyre the guys with the guns.
Reporter: Now the evidence that was brought up, um, did they release any of the evidence, saying, this, these, this is why were pressing these charges?
TS: Um, yeah, there were some things that they did release. Um, they released a paper full of, um, full of things that I dont, I cant even describe. It was ridiculous. Um, its basically like cutting and pasting little pieces of things together. But forgetting, this and this and this, to prove my innocence. It was unbelievably ludicrous. And its okay, cause we have all of those pieces to fit back in there that creates all of our innocence.
Reporter: What about the whole thing with, uh, them saying that you were trying to get your cousin to claim he was the biological father?
TS: I wasnt trying to get my cousin to claim anything. This is the story, okay? Um, heres a mother. Where a man is trying to take away her child. Yes, hes the man that was on the birth certificate, but shes claiming that there was another potential father. And before you go to court and just let, let this man take your baby away, you have to put that potential fathers name on there. Um, you know, somebody else has to take a paternity test. She refused to put his name down because of the fact, I cant say why. Im not going to say why on TV, but the courts will know why when I go to court. So, um, she was going to put a fake name. I didnt want her to put a fake name, its not right to do that to hurt somebody elses family. And in the process, I ended up hurting my family. And myself, because I didnt want her to make up a phony name and have somebody get a knock at their door one day.
Reporter: Why get involved? At this point, uh, was it worth getting involved in this entire time?
TS: Um, I mean at this point now, looking back. I wouldnt have gotten involved, I guess. Um, but, at the time, I got involved because I really cared about this person and I felt like she was being completely taken advantage of by the father and the grandfather and I felt very, very sorry for her that she had nobody on her side.
Reporter: Do you know where Gabriel is?
TS: Absolutely not.
Reporter: Or where he could potentially be?
TS: No, absolutely not. And in court, they did say that, um, whenever I was in jail, we went to a court, I dont know if it was last night or whenever. But they did say that they know we, we dont have any clue.
Reporter: Now, we were talking to your husband earlier and he was saying that he was having oh so little doubts about this, because it took a couple days before Gabriels father actually called up and said, Hey, uh, uh, my sons, uh, my sons missing. What are your thoughts on, uh, on the father? And do you think hes credible or not credible?
TS: I think hes very uncredible. Um, because hes taking, um, small pieces of, of text messages and, um, anything that might have been recorded and cutting and pasting them to make it look like weve done something wrong, and he knows thats not the truth. Um, I think hes very uncredible.
JS: I think, one of the things I think is important, to say here, is were very happy when we found out that he did record those messages. Cause, you know what? If he recorded one, he had to record em all.
TS: Right.
JS: He cant pick and choose which ones he wants to play. If he recorded one of them, he has, he has to play them all. And when he plays them all, whats gonna happen, is its gonna show that we were saying, we dont even want, eh, eh, this is from Elizabeth. This is what she said, but yet, he takes one text, and everybody, has, has text. You dont spell this thing in out in a text, be this long. A text is as short as you can possibly get it. Well, they took that one text. But then we heard that they, um, that that they have recordings, that he has recorded every single call. Sorry, I didnt record every single call that, thatthat we made, because were not that type of people, the people that are constantly thinking that somebody is, is potentially, uh, everybody is bad. Uh, were gonna, were gonna be there, and um, we trust people. You know, we trust people, and were gonna do everything that we can. But, but the fact that he recorded one, means he recorded them all. And, and, when we have our records in front of us, and it shows a fifteen minute phone call, the, the attorneys gonna look at that and say, alright, wheres that call?
TS: Wheres the west, wheres the rest of the recording?
JS: Wheres the rest of the recording? Whats
TS: Why do you only have this much of the recording, out of this much of a call? You know.
Reporter: Did they try to interrogate you? Do you think this is a tactic to try to scare and talk, get you to talk if theres, uh, if you know something that youve yet to say?
TS: Absolutely. Absolutely.
Reporter: So, so did they try to interrogate you in there and, and badger you to get you to, to speak?
TS: Yes, they did at the Temple Police Station.
JS: I think theres another thing thats pretty important here too, and forgive me but, it, eh, theres no question, Tammis admitted, weve been honest and open. We even called the depar, uh, the detectives, and, and when we knew, because the detectives never channeled their direction toward, well, everything was, was less do you know anything about the baby, do you know where hes at? Do you know any this? But if they had said, well you know Tammi, on the fifteenth you went to court with Elizabeth. Is there anything you want to tell us about that? Tammi said, of course, yeah, yeah, it was no big deal, this is what happened. They never channeled it toward that. So we werent hiding anything from them, we were sitting there saying, do we have any, no, no, no, we dont know anything. And you know, the thing thats very, thats, thats, once again, they cant cherrypick. They cant cherrypick what they want to do. So, for example, uh, if the answer that Tammi was a part of with the Craig Cherry thing, if the answer, she lied, or she falsified something, then we do have to go back to the original document, which is that one that An, that Logans said she
TS: The one she was answering.
JS: The one that she was answering, and say, was there any lies in that? We know there were lies in that. Oh, how can they arrest Tammi for that, for that lie
TS: When he made up a bunch of other lies on Elizabeth?
JS: When he made up lies on Elizabeth that, for the original thing? I think somebody at the press conference today, because I asked my friends in the, our friends in the media, which weve tried to be friends with everybody, and were transparent, everybody knows that. Were sitting out here at, four oclock in the morning, you know, talking to you guys. Were transparent. Well do whatever we needs, needs to be done to help try to help find this baby. But I ask, I ask them, be sure and just ask, if, if this is, what about this? And they, said, um, were still looking into that. Well, thats been, thats been, that been standard question, answer from the day one.
Reporter: Youre no longer a person of interest, of any or considered a person of interest, interest. Does that give you relief somewhat?
JS: Um, no.
TS: It gives me relief, because now that were gonna go to court on this, I have a great credible witness for me. (Laughs)
JS: Well, you
TS: Well, hes really not my best credible witness, I have a few attorneys and I have great credible witnesses. Um, they have Logan, as their witness. Um, lets see who else they have. Deanne Iala (SP) as a witness. And were gonna tear them apart. Well, Im not. My attorneys going to tear them apart.
Reporter: What about this connection to Tennessee? They, uh, said there was a potential that, uh, that Elizabeths was supposed to end up in Tennessee and
TS: It heard, I heard many times that that is not the case. Um, that was not the case at all. Thats what Ive heard many times.
JS: We explained that, we explained that to them. Cause, see, again, you gotta understand, there, theres, theres three issues here. We were trying to get her to come back, we were trying to get her to stop, or we were trying to localize her. If any one of those three things we had achieved, we would be heroes today, and you know that. But the fact that she continued to run, cause, cause what happened, she was telling us, Im going to change my identity. Im gonna change my social security number. Im gonna, Im gonna just become nobody. Okay? And , were saying, woah, woah, wait a minute, wait a minute, dont do that. Lets, let, lets try this. Lets see if maybe you can change jurisdiction, okay? And, we have a place in Tennessee, you can go there. And, never gave her an address, never gave her a name, never even told her where it was at, so she, if she gone to Tennessee, she wouldnt have had any idea. But, the point being, is what we were trying to do, is trying to get her to stop and come back. Or, or, or, at least get her to a place where we could, where somebody could go get her. You know again, it, it, it, its odd to me that it was known where she was, on the twenty, on the twenty-first when I called the father, and told him the phone number of where she was at.
TS: Why didnt he take, Im sorry, why didnt Logan take a road trip when we told him, shes not coming back if you dont sign papers? And this is what Elizabeth is telling us? If, if he were to call me (uses hand motion to indicate JS) or somebody were to call me and, and, hes not coming back with my daughter, if I dont sign papers, I would have been on the next flight to San Antonio.
JS: And every one of you would have done the same thing.
TS: I would have been in, and, and he knew that she was in, he knew she was in a hotel, with that baby, refusing to come back, and telling everybody she was going to change her identity and his identity, and shes never gonna call us back again. I mean, come on, did he not want to find his baby?
JS: Well, I
TS: I dont understand. I dont believe he wanted to find his baby, ever. He only wanted her to be in trouble, and thats exactly what hes doing to me today. He only wants me in trouble, he only wants Elizabeth in trouble. I dont believe in my heart of hearts, he ever cared about getting that baby. If he did, he had weeks to go get that baby, but never once tried. Never once did he go to San Antonio and go to every hotel, off of the Interstate to say, Hey, have you seen this woman or this baby? Didnt do it.
JS: I would have, I would have, you would have
TS: My God, I would have went in a heartbeat.
JS: Anybody out there would have.
TS: The golden boy did not want the baby, thats all I
Reporter: Do you still love, love this baby?
TS: Yes, I love this baby.
JS: And we still love the baby.
TS: I, I will look for this baby until hes found. I will look for this baby the rest of my life until hes found. Even though it means bringing him back to Logan. Oh, well, you know, Im still gonna look for this baby. Cause that baby deserves a home.
Reporter: Alright, thanks guys, thanks a bunch.
TS: And sorry if I seem to be a little bit, um, angry right now, but this has, Logan has done this. Ive been told by just about everyone of the media, Logan has done this. So, I will help you Logan, to find your baby, but as far as you go, be watching.
[End tape.]