Investigators conducting a criminal probe swarmed Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch on Tuesday, a sheriff's spokesman said. The purpose of the search was not disclosed.
Authorities 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 recorded statement on a media information line.
The district attorney's office had no comment, said legal secretary Debbie Popp.
It was not known whether Jackson or his children were at the Santa Ynez Valley property, which has its own zoo and amusement park with bumper cars, a merry-go-round and Ferris wheel.
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.
Jackson's spokesman, Stuart Backerman, did not answer his cell phone and did not immediately return messages Tuesday.
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."
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 has three children, and 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, 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.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. advertisement
Wacko Jacko is sick. And the kid's parents are just as SICK to allow their children to SLEEP OVER with a 45 year old "man." It's all so wacked. Gross & sad.
Well, before we convict him before all the facts are known, let us all recognize that this is the day his new CD hits. Coincidence? Hmmm. We are all talking about MJ and if we are fans we will go out and buy this CD to show our support...self promotion?...Hmmm
It not necessarily convicting him before he is proven guilty. He has admitted to sleeping with children, not having sex with tehm but, sleeping in the same bed. That is inappropraite behavior for an adult. There is something sick and disturbed about that. If he is guilty of nothing else, that particular behavior is wrong, it needs to stop and he needs help. Much of what he does is extremely strange and indicitive of a very disturbed mind. It's a shame that he wasn't given the psychiatric help he needed as a child and still is surrounded by people who make excuses for his behaviour leading him to believe that what he does is justifiable.
As far as the aprents who allow their children to be put into that situation, they are worse than Michael. He is obviously sick and dillusional when he speaks of his own behavior. They are selling out their children in order to reap the benefits and status of being friendly with a superstar. That is vile and disgusting.
Well, Lee, what can you expect from Horsey? (Not exactly a critical thinker.)
Come what may of the rest of Michael Jackson's life, that recent interview with his monster, I mean FATHER, in England should be the lens through which we view his experience. Joe Jackson boasted that he never "beat" Michael, he "whipped" him. He also revealed himself to be vehemently anti-gay. "I can't stand them," meaning gay people, he said.
To be raised by a violent homophobe and whipped. IMAGINE not being able to integrate an adult sexuality into your life when you grow up like that!
On Larry King's show on CNN last night it was reported that had Jackson been at home, he would have been arrested. An arrest warrant had been issued for him and they suspect he will likely be arrested in Las Vegas, where he has been working on a video for a tv special.
There is a sadness that permeates this. Something sad all around. I hope Mr. Jackson did not hurt anybody or do anything further to hurt himself.
Michael Jackson seems so disturbed and childlike in many ways. I half expected to wake this morning and hear that he had committed suicide.
Personally, I've reached my boredom threshold with anything to do with Michael Jackson. The only interesting thing is how he's going to handle becoming Velma Kelly while in the clinker.
Isn't it enough already? This creature admits he sleeps with children. He lives with children, he's paid hush money to the family of a least one molested child, he travels with an entourage of children. Paid surrogates injected with his sperm produce him more children. He ain't a star anymore. He is an indulged, mentally ill predator who has received a free ride for decades. Just this week his father, another free-rider in the culture wars, admitted that he hit his son when he was a child. He didn't beat him, he said. Beating is when you use a stick. He used a belt. That's hitting. Can you imagine?!Anyone who can muster an ounce of sympathy for Jackson just isn't facing the truth.
Let's hope the arrest warrant works. While they are at it they might as well draw up a few for the people responsible for letting these children live, travel and sleep with a known pedophile. What parent would let their child within fifty miles of the Neverland Ranch? It almost seems as if some of these "parents" sent their kids on purpose for the sole reason of getting some big bucks out of the deal! It's time for the Michael Jackson show to close for good. That being said I'd like to hear him warble "Me and My Baby", just once.
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium's
Liable to walk upon the scene
Here are the police docs for the first allegations leveled at Jackson in 1992..
Ya know, the one he paid 15-45 million to go away....
Ya know, Who knows what the truth is but this is the second time..the SECOND TIME this has happened...now here's the kicker..Mr. Jackson is not in the financial position he was in 1992...he has over 1000 lawsuits against him...
he can't be throwing no 15 mill at something to make it go away....he don't have it!
If I'm not mistaken, the previous charges were instigated by a lawsuit against him. When the plaintiff got paid off, they didn't press charges.
This is different, however. The cops have raided the Ranch, and if they find evidence, e.g. kiddie porn, it won't matter if the plaintiff drops a suit or not. Jacko's nailed.
Lee....please don't confuse the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay as being supported by the American people. That's all due to our fearless leader George W. and his cronies. A lot of us feel the same way about him and his policies as you feel about Blair over there.
Updated On: 11/19/03 at 10:40 AM
There was a time....probably before many of our posters were around even...when you were in a club or at a party, and the first few notes of a Michael Jackson song would send everyone to the dance floor. It was about the music then and he was a trendsetter.
Then he began to dwell more and more on his childhood and began to change his physical appearance until he was difficult to look at. But most of all his music changed. He was no longer in the vanguard, he was bringing up the rear - so to speak.
I agree with so many of the posters here that the parents of these boys (no girls have ever been mentioned)should be given a lot of the blame. But Jackson is surrounded not by friends, but by people who work for him and will tell him what he wants to hear. No one in his family except Janet earns any money except through him - maybe LaToya.... And she might be the only one who tells the truth about the rest of them.
Anyway...the Michael Jackson of today doesn't have anything in common with the Michael Jackson of the Hit Song Era. This is a disturbed individual who may finally be forced to get the help he needs...just as the other Jacksons may finally be forced to get jobs.