Heather Ellis entering court this morning in Kennett, MO.
Gary Tuchman and Dave Mattingly
CNN
This much isn't in dispute: Heather Ellis cut in line at a Wal-Mart nearly three years ago.
But the accounts of what happened next vary, depending on whom you ask - and has divided this economically struggling Missouri town of 11,000 along racial lines.
Ellis, then a college student with no criminal history, said some white patrons shoved and hurled racial slurs at her when she switched checkout lines at Wal-Mart in January 2007.
Store employees refused to give her back her change and called police, she said.
And when she was taken outside to the parking lot, an officer allegedly told her to "Go back to the ghetto." Another roughed her up, she said.
Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear Gary's report from the Heather Ellis trial. AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.
Gary speaks to Heather Ellis' father, Pastor Nathaniel Ellis.
Gary Tuchman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
Heather Ellis just turned 24-years- old this weekend. She hopes to be a doctor one day. But first, she faces the possibility of up to 15 years in prison for allegedly assaulting two police officers.
I'm sitting 10 feet away from her inside a courtroom in Dunklin County, Missouri during the process of jury selection; a process than in itself could seal her fate for good or for bad.
But this isn't an ordinary assault trial. This one is wrapped in racial controversy. Ms. Ellis is an African-American. The cops she is accused of assaulting are white.
Heather Ellis' father tells the allegations are part of a "racist conspiracy." He says white customers in a Wal-Mart started harassing her after she moved into a quicker checkout line where her cousin was standing. Racial insults were hurled at her, and ultimately police assaulted her, says her father.
Gary Tuchman and Katherine Wojtecki
AC360°
Nathan Halbach is 22, with a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. He knows that "horrible stuff" lies ahead.
His mother, Pat Bond, has been taking care of him full time. But when she needed help, she reached out to the Roman Catholic Church.
After all, his father is a priest.
Nathan was born in 1986, during a five-year affair between his mother and Father Henry Willenborg, the Franciscan priest who celebrated Nathan's baptism. In a story first reported in the New York Times, it was revealed that The Franciscan Order drew up an agreement acknowledging the boy's paternity and agreeing to pay child support in exchange for a pledge of confidentiality.
Now her son - the youngest of four children - may have just weeks to live. And when the Franciscans balked at paying for his care, she decided she was no longer bound by her pledge of confidentiality.
Gary Tuchman and Katherine Wojtecki
AC360°
Nathan Halbach is 22, with a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. He knows that "horrible stuff" lies ahead.
His mother, Pat Bond, has been taking care of him full time. But when she needed help, she reached out to the Roman Catholic Church.
After all, his father is a priest.
Nathan was born in 1986, during a five-year affair between his mother and Father Henry Willenborg, the Franciscan priest who celebrated Nathan's baptism. The Franciscan Order drew up an agreement acknowledging the boy's paternity and agreeing to pay child support in exchange for a pledge of confidentiality.
Now her son - the youngest of four children - may have just weeks to live. And when the Franciscans balked at paying for his care, she decided she was no longer bound by her pledge of confidentiality.
"I never asked for extraordinary amounts. I asked for the basic needs and care of my son," Bond said. But she said the church told her, "No, we are not Nathan's biological father, we have no legal obligation to your son."
Gary Tuchman | BIO
AC360° Anchor
Gary Tuchman
CNN
Editor's Note: Tune in tonight for Gary Tuchman's report from the Tea Party Express. Tonight AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.
Chuck Hadad
AC360° Producer
The Tea Party Express hit the road on Sunday, kicking off a nationwide tour with plans to hold rallies in 38 cities in 19 days.
The Tea Party Express departed from San Diego yesterday and will traverse the nation, coast-to-cast, before ending up in Orlando, Florida on Veteran’s day.
The Tea Party Express calls for less government spending, and opposes increased government involvement in health care, corporate bailouts and deficit spending.
Gary Tuchman reports tonight on 360° on the people who are taking part in the protests and looks into why they're frustrated, worried and angry. He'll be live from a protest in Fresno, Calif. tonight.
These images were taken at a protest in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Gary interviews Tea Party protesters.
Gary Tuchman | BIO
AC360° Anchor
Program Note: Make sure to watch Gary Tuchman's report tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.
AC360°
An investigation into the deaths of three people who spent up to two hours inside a "sweat lodge" at an Arizona retreat has been elevated from an accidental death investigation to a homicide inquiry.
In North America, most Native American tribes use the term "sweat lodge" to refer to a dome-shaped structure where the intimate ritual of the sweat takes place.
Gary Tuchman visited a sweat lodge in Cornville, AZ, just outside of Sedona, to report on the ritual.
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