Probe casts doubt on Jackson's claim he was injured during arrest
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Mishandled

Tue Aug 24, 8:21 PM ET


LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A state investigation has found that pop star Michael Jackson's claims that he was manhandled and injured during his arrest on child abuse charges were false, police said.


Santa Barbara Sheriff Jim Anderson said an investigation by the California Attorney General and the state's Bureau of Investigation had concluded that Jackson was not injured during his November 19 arrest.


"After interviewing 163 witnesses and expending an excess of 2,500 investigative hours, the California Bureau of Investigation determined that Mr Jackson was not injured at the hands of Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department personnel," Anderson told a press conference.


"The investigation also concluded there was no criminal conduct on the part of Sheriffs Department personnel during their contact with Mr Jackson," he added.


But the sheriff declined to say whether he would now pursue criminal charges against Jackson for making the allegations, as he had earlier warned he might do if the charges were proved false.


Anderson said he was prevented from expounding on his statement by a strict gag order surrounding Jackson's child molestation case that is being heard in Santa Maria, in California's Santa Barbara County.


Jackson had claimed during an interview broadcast on the American CBS television network in December that his shoulder had been dislocated and his wrists and back hurt when his hands were cuffed behind his back when he turned himself in for arrest.


"They manhandled me very roughly, my shoulder is dislocated literally, it is hurting very badly," the "King of Pop" said before showing photographs apparently showing severe bruising to his right arm.


He also claimed he was locked in a toilet in the sheriff's department for 45 minutes when he surrendered to be arrested, booked and photographed on charges he molested a 12-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch.


But Anderson insisted Tuesday that the results of the official investigation into the allegations had vindicated his department and showed that Jackson had been treated in a "in a professional manner."


Jackson has not yet made any statement is response to the results of the California investigation. Any statement would have to be cleared in advance by trial Judge Rodney Melville.


Jackson, 45, has pleaded innocent to a 10-count indictment that includes charges of child molestation, giving alcohol to a minor, as well as conspiracies to kidnap, illegally imprison and extort his alleged victim. He is free on three million dollars bail.

Sheriff Pleased With Jackson Arrest Probe
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Mishandled
Tue Aug 24, 7:10 PM ET

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County sheriff said Tuesday he was vindicated by a state attorney general's report that found no evidence deputies and jail staff manhandled Michael Jackson (news) during his arrest on child molestation charges.


The report concluded there was no criminal conduct during the sheriff's department's contact with Jackson, Sheriff Jim Anderson said at a news conference.


The finding had been leaked to the media more than a week ago.


"After interviewing 163 witnesses and expending in excess of 2,500 investigative hours, the California Bureau of Investigation determined that Mr. Jackson was not injured at the hands of Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department personnel," Anderson said.


Jackson claimed in a December "60 Minutes" interview that he was handled roughly during the Nov. 20 arrest. The sheriff denied the allegations but called for an investigation.


"The findings of the attorney general's investigation have provided a clear vindication of our personnel who were involved in the arrest and booking of Mr. Jackson," Anderson said.


He declined to answer when asked if he planned to charge Jackson with making false claims. "I'm under court order not to take questions," he said.


Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. said in court last week that Jackson never made a formal complaint about his treatment or requested an investigation, although he had bruises and received medical treatment.


Jackson, 45, is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 31. He has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He is free on $3 million bail.

Statement from Karen Faye
Mood:  happy
Topic: Mishandled
During the August 16, 2004 broadcast of "Catherine Crier Live," CourtTV's Diane Dimond reported the following in relevance to the recently concluded investigation by Attorney General Bill Lockyer to Michael Jackson's allegations of police misconduct:

"Karen Faye, Michael Jackson's loyal, long-time make-up artist... According to confidential sources close to the investigation, informants told the AG's office it was Faye who had actually applied make-up to create the bruise seen here on Jackson's arm, and that it was all smoke and mirrors."


In response, Karen Faye issued the following response to MJJForum:

"I just want to make a statement regarding Diane Dimond's public statement that I used make-up to make a bruise on Michael's arm. This is totally untrue. I am very angry. I am legally pursuing an "on the air" retraction of her statement. I have first hand experience, that we are dealing with a pack of liars.

"I also want to thank all of you for giving Michael, his family, and his team all of your love and support. We must do everything we can to bring justice and fairness back into this world. Your show of support gives me hope that there are so many people in the world that DO have true hearts. We will pave the way to a better world, and Michael will help us do it!

"Love, Karen Faye"


DISCLAIMER: Neither MJJFORUM.COM, CLUBMJJF.COM, MJJF-EUROPE.COM, nor the opinions expressed in any and all writings/posts/messages located anywhere on this site, are in any way affiliated either expressly or implicitly with Michael Jackson, MJJsource.com, MJJProductions, his management, his attorneys, etc.

MJJF-EUROPE.COM, nor the opinions expressed in any and all writings/posts/messages located anywhere on this site, are in any way affiliated either expressly or implicitly with Michael Jackson, MJJsource.com, MJJProductions, his management, his attorneys, etc.

MJJFORUM.COM IS NOT in any way, shape or form the official website of Michael Jackson. Because we do not speak for Michael Jackson, we DO NOT fall under any gag orders associated with the current case.




? MJJForum.com - This news can be reposted with a credit to MJJForum.com






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Report: Jackson not 'manhandled' in custody
Mood:  surprised
Topic: Mishandled
Judge orders portion of report released



SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- The judge in the molestation case against pop star Michael Jackson on Thursday ordered the release of part of a report by the state's attorney general concluding that the singer was not treated roughly when he surrendered on the charges last year.

Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville's announcement during a pretrial hearing in the case prompted a heated protest from Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr., who called the report a "sham and a scam" designed to give the prosecution positive publicity.

Jackson told CBS' "60 Minutes" in December that he was "manhandled very roughly" when he was taken into custody on the child molestation charges. He said he was bruised and that his shoulder was dislocated.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department denied the charges.

Sources familiar with the investigation told CNN Sunday that the California attorney general's office determined that sheriff's deputies treated Jackson properly.

Mesereau said it was "extraordinary" that the attorney general's office would take it upon itself to investigate the matter, since Jackson had never filed a complaint or lawsuit about the incident.

He said the attorney general's office never interviewed or examined Jackson in the course of its investigation, and said the conclusion of the report was "propaganda designed to violate" the judge's gag order in the case.

The judge said Jackson will be allowed to make a statement on the portion of the report made public, but will have to clear it with the judge first.

Accuser's stepfather takes stand

Later Thursday, the stepfather of the boy who accuses Jackson of molesting him took the witness stand in a hearing to determine whether some evidence gathered by the prosecution can be used at trial.

Identified only as John Doe, the stepfather said someone representing Jackson called him and said that Jane Doe, his wife, and his children needed to come back to the ranch to film a video to rebut a British documentary in which Jackson admitted sleeping in the same bedroom as children.

John Doe testified that he asked the man what he was offering, and the man said the family would be given a house, college educations for the children and security.

The hearing is being held to determine whether some evidence gathered by the prosecution can be used at trial.

At issue is the defense's claim that District Attorney Tom Sneddon violated attorney-client privilege between Jackson and his former attorney, Mark Geragos, when the prosecutor searched the office of private investigator Brad Miller.

The defense said the prosecutor knew or should have known that Miller was working for Geragos at the time. As a result, the defense wants any information obtained in the search to be considered attorney work product -- notes and materials collected in preparation for a trial -- and therefore inadmissible as evidence.

Sneddon maintains he did not know that Miller was directly employed by Geragos.

An investigator with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department testified Tuesday the department sought search warrants for Miller's office because the mother of the alleged victim had said that some items belonging to her may be there.

There was no court session Wednesday.

Jackson, 45, has pleaded not guilty to child molestation for alleged incidents with the boy that prosecutors say took place last year in February and March.

The singer is charged with seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, reportedly wine.

Tuesday, Judge Melville turned down a defense motion to quash warrants used to search the pop star's Neverland Ranch.

The defense contended that investigators had used inaccurate information in making their case for the search warrants. But Melville said that even if that information wasn't accurate, authorities still had enough justification for the warrants.

CNN correspondent Miguel Marquez and producers Chuck Conder and Dree De Clamecy contributed to this report.


Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/08/19/jackson.case/index.html