Police Search Michael Jackson's Ranch... Again

[SBTB Geek]

FROM: Associated Press | Yahoo! News
LINK: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ael_jackson_10

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. - Investigators conducting a criminal probe swarmed Michael Jackson (news)'s Neverland Ranch on Tuesday, a sheriff's spokesman said. The purpose of the search was not disclosed.

Jackson and his three young children were not at the ranch at the time of the raid, his spokesman, Stuart Backerman, told The Associated Press. He said that for three weeks Jackson and his family have been in Las Vegas, where Jackson was filming a video.


Backerman declined further comment, saying he still lacked detailed information about the purpose of the investigation.


More than 20 investigators from the Santa Barbara County sheriff's and district attorney's offices served a warrant about 8:30 a.m. as part of an "ongoing criminal investigation," Sgt. Chris Pappas said in a prepared statement.


The district attorney's office had no comment, said legal secretary Debbie Popp.


The $12.3 million Santa Ynez Valley property, which has a mansion, its own zoo and amusement park with bumper cars, a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel, has often been the site of children's parties.


Nearly 10 years have passed since the 45-year-old singing superstar faced a child-molestation investigation in a case that never resulted in criminal charges.


The singer who had international hits with the albums "Thriller" (1982), "Bad" (1987) and "Dangerous" (1991), saw his career begin to collapse in 1993 amid allegations he molested a boy. Jackson maintained his innocence, and charges were never filed. He reportedly paid a multimillion-dollar settlement.


Jackson is also connected to Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano, who has begun serving federal prison time for possessing illegal explosives, and is being investigated about whether he secretly taped conversations of celebrities and their lawyers.


Pellicano, 59, reportedly worked for Jackson while the singer was under investigation for child molestation in the early 1990s.


As the raid was under way, Court TV reported that the warrant was tied to allegations brought by a 12-year-old boy. That could not immediately be confirmed by The Associated Press.


In a television documentary broadcast on ABC earlier this year, Jackson said he had slept in a bed with many children. "When you say bed you're thinking sexual," the singer said. "It's not sexual, we're going to sleep. I tuck them in. ... It's very charming, it's very sweet."


As of last December, when Jackson interacted with young fans outside a lawsuit hearing in Santa Maria, Calif., he was still inviting children to his home for parties.


The search came on the same day Epic Records released "Number Ones," a greatest hits collection featuring Jackson's new single, "One More Chance." On Nov. 26, CBS is scheduled to air a Jackson special consisting mainly of old concert footage.


Jackson caused an international uproar last year when he displayed his baby, Prince Michael II, to fans by dangling him briefly from a fourth-floor balcony in Germany, where he had gone to accept an award.


Jackson called the incident a "terrible mistake," and Berlin authorities said the actions were not punishable.


Not much is known about Prince Michael II, whose mother has not been identified. The singer's 6-year-old son, Prince Michael I, and 5-year-old daughter, Paris, were born during his marriage to Debbie Rowe, his plastic surgeon's nurse, which ended in 1999.

He was also married to Lisa Marie Presley (news), Elvis's daughter, between 1994 and 1996.

Jackson routinely keeps the children's heads covered with cloth while escorting them in public — and he usually sports a surgical mask himself when out and about. He has said he wants to protect them from the public eye.

The "King of Pop" amassed a half-billion-dollar fortune over the past 20 years, but his former financial advisers have said, in a lawsuit last spring, that he is saddled with debt and teetering near bankruptcy. Current financial advisers have denied that claim.

Jackson has appeared weak and ghostly pale at many of his recent public appearances, and his own attorneys have said has been involved in nearly 1,000 lawsuits.

In June, he suffered a suspected anxiety attack during a visit to Indianapolis to deliver a deposition in a lawsuit and his doctor said the singer was weak, dizzy and dehydrated.

In a separate Santa Maria lawsuit hearing earlier this year, the singer hobbled into court on crutches with his left foot wrapped in bandages because of swelling from what he described as a spider bite and delayed testimony because he said he was too ill to appear in court.

When he did finally testify, he giggled during questioning and made comical faces at people in the courtroom.

It's been confirmed that it was a 12-year old boy from Los Angeles who brought on the allegations. So far deputies have taken Michael Jackson's computers, bedsheets, and other items that might contain evidence.

They don't have Michael in custody right now, because he is currently in Las Vegas with his family shooting a video for his new single, "One More Chance," which was produced by fellow pedophile, R. Kelly.

LOL... this is Breaking News all over Los Angeles T.V. stations, and Court TV. BTW, his new album Number Ones was released today.

[LILFACE23]

None of this surprises me. I never believed he was innocent. IMO, you don't settle on a case if you're innocent.

[Brian]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Musi...nch/index.html

SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- Investigators responding to allegations of child molestation, according to one source with knowledge of the investigation, searched pop star Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch for several hours Tuesday.

There was no official confirmation of what sparked the investigation or what the 20 officers from the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's office were searching for or may have found.

"We cannot comment on law enforcement's investigation because we do not yet know what it is about," a spokesman for the entertainer said.

But a source with knowledge of the investigation said it involved allegations of child molestation -- nearly a decade after Jackson, now 45, settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of a boy who had done sleepovers at Neverland Ranch while he was still 13 and accused Jackson of molesting him.

No criminal charges were filed in that case.

Stuart Backerman, a spokesman for Jackson, said the singer has been in Las Vegas for the past 2 1/2 weeks, shooting a video for the song "One More Chance."

That single is on his "Number Ones" album, a greatest hits collection released Tuesday by Epic Records.

Later this month, a special on Jackson is due to air on CBS.

According to Bakerman's statement, Jackson himself said, "I've seen lawyers who do not represent me and spokespeople who do not know me speaking for me. These characters always seem to surface with a dreadful allegation just as another project, an album, a video, is being released."


Giraffes wander in their paddock at the Neverland Ranch.
The search warrant was served at 8:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. EST), said Chris Pappas, a spokesman for the sheriff's department, and investigators were still on the scene more than six hours later.

Attorney Larry R. Feldman, who represented the alleged victim in the 1994 child molestation lawsuit against Jackson, told CNN Tuesday he would "not confirm or deny" that he is currently representing anyone in a civil or criminal investigation pertaining to Jackson because of possible "violation of attorney-client privilege."

Backerman attacked the "the malignant horde of media hounds claiming to speak for Michael on this and many other issues.

"A rogue's gallery of hucksters and self-styled 'inside sources' have dominated the airwaves since reports of a search of Neverland broke, speculating, guessing and fabricating information about an investigation they couldn't possibly know about," he said.

Backerman said Jackson will "cooperate fully with authorities in any investigation even as it is conducted, yet again, while he is not home."

Terms of the 1994 lawsuit settlement were confidential although the boy's attorney -- Feldman -- said at the time they were happy to resolve the matter and put it behind him.

Johnnie Cochran, Jackson's attorney in that case, said at the time that Jackson maintained his innocence and that settlement was in no way an admission of guilt.

Criminal investigators stopped pursuing their case after the lawsuit was settled and the young boy -- by then 14 -- made clear he did not want to participate in any prosecution of the singer.

[musicradio77]

That was just an inncident Michael had accurd in LA area. I'm a Michael Jackson freak and I will get the new CD "Number 1's" that it is out today. These songs are solo #1 songs but not the Jackson 5 #1 songs. It's a must have.

[Brian]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._jackson_dc_21


LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - California police have issued an arrest warrant for pop star Michael Jackson and are negotiating with his lawyers on the terms of his surrender, a Las Vegas police spokesman said on Wednesday.



The spokesman said that California authorities had contacted the Las Vegas department because Jackson was staying in the gambling resort city preparing a music video.


Spokesman Jose Montoya said the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department did not specify the charges in the warrant against Jackson.


There have been widespread media reports that the 45-year-old singer is being investigated on allegations that he molested a 12-year-old boy who stayed at his Neverland Ranch about three months ago.


Santa Barbara police have scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. EST. About 60 police investigators have been searching Jackson's Neverland Ranch compound in central California since Tuesday, hauling away dozens of boxes in the so-far unexplained probe.

[isiahthomas]

I've been seeing it all over the news today about the police have a arrest warrant for him. Could ya'll see Michael in prison? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha he would be scared to death. He'd sure enough be a f*g in prison cause u know the inmates would have a field day with him LOL. Hasn't he learned anything from what happened to him 10 yrs ago when he settled that sexual abuse case with that kid? I guess not cause he's still throwing parties for little kids at his ranch LOL. I don't understand why he doesn't hang with people in the industry his own age & i never see him with a woman. Maybe he doesn't like women LOL. If i had all the money he had, i'd be all over women & women would definitely be all over me LOL. He's been a weirdo since day one anyway so none of this surprises me.

[MonarC]

this guy is so rich and perverted that it makes me sick that he gets aways with practically everything from molesting kids to hanging his baby out of a window.

[The Modfather]

I heard this, one question; WHY????? What a freak. I hope he gets locked away.

[Mr. Stefani]

ha ha seeing michael in handcuffs makes me laugh.

[°Bubbly Blonde°]

I think they just want money.

[Mr. Stefani]

[Mr. Stefani]

Originally posted by SBTB Geek
LOL... this is Breaking News all over Los Angeles T.V. stations, and Court TV. BTW, his new album Number Ones was released today.

yes, its been "breaking news" on almost every station in the US for the past 2 days.

[David]

Originally posted by Nirvana

[Kristina]

Originally posted by BubbleLuvGrl026
I think they just want money.

[Kristina]

Originally posted by MonarC
to hanging his baby out of a window.

That wasn't even that bad, he was showing people his baby and had a tight grip of him. People make mistakes.