Michael Jackson Saga/Take Me To South America

[Meehowski]

Nov 23 2003

STAR TRIED TO FLEE U.S.

By Stephen Martin

UNHINGED Michael Jackson went into mid-air meltdown and tried to flee America as he flew home to be arrested and handcuffed.

The singer, sedated by doctors but gripped by panic at child sex charges, demanded to be flown to a South America bolt-hole.

Trembling and swaying, he ordered aides to change his plane's flight path and spring him to a haven beyond the reach of US law.

But flunkies refused for fear that US air control would force the 87-TD private jet down for an emergency landing by knocking out its satellite navigation systems. And they insisted Jackson - accused of sex offences against 12-year-old cancer victim Gavin Arvizo - should give himself up.

Muttering to himself and screaming "it's not fair", Jackson spent the journey rocking backwards and forwards in his seat.

The star's deranged antics on the jet from Las Vegas to California shocked even those used to his odd behaviour.

At first he refused to board the plane taking him to Santa Barbara for a showdown with District Attorney Tom Sneddon. A witness said: "His people almost dragged him on in the end. He was shaking and in a state of near hysteria."

Once aboard, father-of-three Jackson demanded the pilot change routes and take him and his children to South America. The witness said: "Jackson was adamant he was going to do a runner because he was so nervous. But his attorneys managed to talk him out of it. There was a lot of shouting. They told him the authorities would jam the guidance systems on the plane.

"They said the plane would be forced into an emergency landing.

"Even if he did succeed in leaving the country, he would be extradited back to the United States.

"Jacko was sitting in his chair rocking backwards and forwards chattering to himself with his head in his hands. He was a total basket case."

The source went on: "A man in a suit, carrying a medical bag was walking alongside Jacko when he finally got on the plane. Then Jackson demanded that they have Kentucky Fried Chicken delivered to the plane before he would agree to take off."

Jackson was put in his seat, flanked by two bodyguards. Then he was given an injection to calm him down.

"Even the sedatives didn't help much," said the source. "He repeatedly squealed, 'Why, why, why are they doing this to me?' He was totally agitated, sweating, his hair covering his face and he wrung his hands incessantly. He looked like he was doing the Moonwalk while sitting down"

Jackson was on board the plane with his children, Prince Michael, six, Paris, five, and toddler Prince Michael II.

Earlier, there had been more oddball antics as Jackson prepared to leave the Green Valley Ranch, a luxury Vegas resort where he had been staying while filming a new video.

The source said: "Jackson's handlers noticed he was missing and when they went searching, they found him outside the private bungalow. When asked what he was doing, he said that he saw a field mouse and wanted to play with it, but was unable to find it."

On Friday, Jackson returned to Vegas after being released on bail of ?million. On the flight back, Jackson was calmer and told the crew he was relieved he was not remanded in custody and didn't have to go to jail. But he refused to communicate with the doctor who had sedated him on the outward journey.

The source said: "Jackson just sat there, rubbing his wrists where the handcuffs had been."

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[baghdad_steve15]

wow, you are in Micheal Jackson watch. You should be Beat King's official correspondent.

[DudeAsInCool]

Puts a new spin on the song 'Beat It'!

[Meehowski]

That's for sure!!

[DudeAsInCool]

Update:

By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES - Child welfare investigators earlier this year found there was no basis for allegations that Michael Jackson (news) had abused the boy now accusing him of molestation, according to a confidential memo.

The memo from an administrator with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services was based on an investigation last February and was leaked to the Web site thesmokinggun.com, which posted it Tuesday. A source familiar with the document confirmed its authenticity to The Associated Press.

The memo was dated Nov. 26, 2003 — a week after the Santa Barbara County district attorney announced child molestation allegations against Jackson.

Both the boy and his brother told investigators Jackson had not sexually abused them, according to the memo. Their older sister said she had never witnessed anything sexually inappropriate between her brothers and the entertainer.

The memo was sent from a regional administrator to bureau chief Charles Sophy and detailed a probe completed before Sophy joined the agency.

Jackson's defense is certain to seize on the memo.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.

The memo, which refers to Jackson as "the entertainer," said the department began a 13-day inquiry after a Los Angeles school district official called its hot line Feb. 14 out of concern for the boy and his brother. The investigation was conducted with the Los Angeles police.

The school official suspected neglect by the boy's mother and sexual abuse by Jackson, according to the memo. But the department and the police concluded the allegations were "unfounded," the document said.

Louise Grasmehr, a spokeswoman for the child welfare department, said the leak would probably be investigated because the memo was supposed to be confidential under state laws designed to protect children. Police spokeswoman Officer Sandra Escalante had no comment.

The school official called the hot line after the child, a cancer patient who had visited Jackson at his Neverland Ranch, appeared in a TV documentary in which the boy told an interviewer he had been a guest for sleepovers at Neverland. In the documentary, Jackson defended his habit of letting children sleep in his bed as "sweet" and non-sexual.

The boy's mother told investigators in February that "she believed the media had taken everything out of context," the memo said. The mother said that the children were never left alone with Jackson and that her son slept in the same room with Jackson but never shared his bed. She said Jackson would sleep on the floor.

Separately, the mother contacted an attorney around the time the documentary aired, saying she thought her son had been abused.

Jackson was booked Nov. 20 on suspicion of child molestation. He has denied the allegations and was released on $3 million bail. Authorities said they expect to file formal charges next week.

[DudeAsInCool]

Calif. Prosecutor in Jackson Case Dismisses Memo

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Dec 9, 6:02 PM (ET)

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Allegations that Michael Jackson molested a 13-year-old boy were first investigated by Los Angeles authorities in February and determined to be "unfounded," a child welfare agency memo showed on Tuesday.

But Santa Barbara prosecutors, who are expected to charge Jackson with multiple counts of child molestation next week, said they did not expect the previous investigation in Los Angeles to be a "significant factor" in the case.

The memo -- a summary of the investigation first made public by The Smoking Gun Web site (www.thesmokinggun.com) -- shows police and child welfare authorities interviewed the boy and his family, all of whom denied the allegations.

Authorities, who closed the investigation after about two weeks, also dismissed an allegation that the boy's mother had neglected him, according to the memo.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, which issued the memo, confirmed that it was genuine and that the investigation had taken place.

"The document is authentic and our department is investigating how it was leaked," spokesman Neil Zanville told Reuters, adding that California state laws regulating child welfare prohibited him from commenting further.

"The investigation by the Sensitive Case Unit concluded the allegations of neglect and sexual abuse to be unfounded both by the LAPD-Wilshire Division and the Department (of Children and Family Services)," said the memo, written on Nov. 26.

There was no indication that authorities had interviewed Jackson, who was arrested last month by Santa Barbara County Sheriffs on suspicion of molesting a 13-year-old boy.

But Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon and Sheriff Jim Anderson said in a joint statement that they were aware of the Los Angeles investigation before they proceeded with their case against Jackson.

'NOT A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR'

"The report and it's contents, along with the totality of the investigation and the timing under which the statements were given were provided to the judge at the time that the search and arrest warrants were issued," Sneddon and Anderson said in the statement.

"Given what we know, we do not consider the DCFS statement a significant factor," they added. Sneddon has refused to discuss the evidence against Jackson or the exact nature of the charges he expects to file.

Jackson, who was released on $3 million bail, has been mostly in seclusion since his arrest but released a statement calling the allegations a "big lie."

The 45-year-old singer, who lives at the sprawling Neverland Valley Ranch in the hills above Santa Barbara, is not named in the memo and is referred to only as "the entertainer."

An LAPD spokeswoman said police were "trying to see what involvement we had" in the case and declined to comment. Jackson's lawyer, Mark Geragos, could not be reached.

Los Angeles authorities began their investigation after a British TV documentary generated worldwide controversy when the Jackson told a journalist that he shared his bed with children, the memo said.

According to the memo, the boy's mother told investigators "the media had taken everything out of context."

"As per the sexual abuse allegations, the mother stated that her children are never left alone with the entertainer," the memo says. "She further stated that her son has slept in the same room as the entertainer but they did not share a bed. The entertainer would sleep on the floor."

The boy and his brother denied any abuse to investigators and "both children expressed a fondness for the entertainer and stated they enjoyed visiting his home, where they would often ride in the park, play video games and watch movies."

Their sister, who was 16 at the time of the investigation, told investigators "she had never seen anything sexually inappropriate between her brothers and the entertainer."