Mark Geragos Advirtio Al Sheriff De No Mostrar Las Grabaciones De Michael
January 1, 2004
Sheriff denies Jackson mistreated
Anderson calls for probe to prove star lied about injuries
By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
MIKE ELIASON/NEWS-PRESS
Sheriff Jim Anderson refutes Michael Jackson's accusations during a press conference Wednesday. "He was in no way manhandled or abused."
Armed with video footage and audiotapes, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson strongly denied that his deputies injured Michael Jackson during the entertainer's arrest and called for an investigation by the state attorney general to prove it.
During a press conference Wednesday, the sheriff also said that if Mr. Jackson's accusations are deemed unfounded, he will request that charges be filed against him for making a false report of peace officer misconduct.
The sheriff showed a video of what appeared to be an uneventful arrest and then played an audiotape on which Mr. Jackson could be heard whistling and replying "wonderful" to detectives who asked if he was OK as they transported him to the Santa Barbara County Jail on Nov. 20.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon that he had launched the investigation: "At the request of the Santa Barbara Sheriff, I have directed special agents from my Division of Law Enforcement with the assistance of senior attorneys from my Civil Rights Enforcement Section and Criminal Law Division to conduct an independent investigation into whether the rights of Michael Jackson were violated when he was booked and arrested earlier this month."
Mr. Lockyer indicated he could not predict when the investigation would be completed. "But we will work as quickly as possible to conduct a thorough and fair investigation and review all of the facts before reaching a conclusion. Once our investigation is completed, we will make our findings public and ensure that appropriate action is taken as necessary."
Sheriff Anderson's comments drew an immediate response from Mr. Jackson's attorney, Mark Geragos, who said in a News-Press interview that he warned the sheriff not to play the tapes because they were an invasion of his client's privacy and were part of an ongoing investigation.
"I specifically sent a letter to the sheriff this morning warning him of the consequences of showing those tapes," Mr. Geragos said. "It's not only illegal and in violation of several statutes, but it also doesn't answer the question of whether abuse occurred."
During an interview on "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, Mr. Jackson accused the deputies of injuring him, claiming his shoulder was dislocated and arms bruised while he was being arrested and booked on suspicion of committing multiple counts of child molestation.
Michael Jackson displays his right arm in this undated photo released by the office of his attorney, Mark Geragos.
Sheriff Anderson said at the press conference that he considered Mr. Jackson's accusations on television "a formal citizen complaint," which would mean the entertainer could be charged with filing a false report if they aren't substantiated.
Mr. Geragos disagreed. He said charges cannot be pressed against his client for filing a false report when no formal written report has been filed.
"It's a joke," Mr. Geragos said. "In fact, it would be laughable if it wasn't so sad that Santa Barbara County's chief law enforcement officer is so lacking in his grasp of criminal law."
Mr. Geragos said he contacted the Attorney General's Office and requested "they widen their investigation into the case from its inception."
That would include why Santa Barbara County authorities charged Mr. Jackson with child molestation after Los Angeles authorities deemed last February that allegations against the singer were unfounded.
Mr. Lockyer could not be reached for comment on this issue.
A source close to the defense told the News-Press that Mr. Geragos is expected to file a motion soon asking the judge to remove both Sheriff Anderson and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon from the case because he believes his client cannot receive fair treatment and that the criminal investigation was legally flawed.
During the press conference at Earl Warren Showgrounds, Sheriff Anderson denounced Mr. Jackson's accusations: "He was in no way manhandled or abused. His treatment by this department can only be described as professional. I am shocked and troubled by his allegations."
MIKE ELIASON/NEWS-PRESS
Mr. Jackson claimed in a CBS interview that he was injured when deputies handcuffed him. On Wednesday, Sheriff Jim Anderson, far left, holds a press conference to denounce the accusations of mistreatment.
He played the audiotape that was made as deputies drove Mr. Jackson to the jail. On it, the singer can be heard complaining that the handcuffs hurt.
"Scoot forward a little bit," a detective can be heard telling him. "There you go."
"Thank you," Mr. Jackson said. A couple of minutes passed and Mr. Jackson asked: "Can you put the air on please? Thank you."
"Is that OK for you, Mr. Jackson?" the driver asked.
"Wonderful. Thank you," he responded.
Sounds of the car traveling and Mr. Jackson whistling can then be heard.
"We're almost there," a detective said. "You OK, Mr. Jackson?"
"Yes, fine," he answered. Crowds can be heard cheering for Mr. Jackson as he steps out of the vehicle and is then escorted into the jail.
Sheriff Anderson said the handcuffs were removed from Mr. Jackson about 40 seconds after his arrival and that the total time from when he entered and exited the jail was 63 minutes.
"At no time during this process did Mr. Jackson complain of any injury incurred during the course of the arrest or mistreatment by the jail staff," the sheriff said.
He also discounted the singer's accusations that deputies locked him inside a room smeared with feces for 45 minutes when he asked to use a bathroom at the County Jail. The sheriff said Mr. Jackson was placed alone in a holding cell, which had just been cleaned, for about 15 minutes.
Mr. Geragos said his client stands by his accusations.
During the "60 Minutes" interview, the singer claimed: "They were supposed to go in, and just check fingerprints and do the whole thing that they do when they take somebody in. They manhandled me very roughly. My shoulder is dislocated, literally. It's hurting very badly. I'm in pain all the time.... It's very swollen.... It keeps me from sleeping at night."
Mr. Geragos said he didn't think his client needed to be handcuffed in the first place: "I have surrendered in excess of 1,000 people over my 20-year career to both the courts and police stations and I have never seen anyone placed in handcuffs for a perfunctory booking when bail is ready to be posted."
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Authorities said they videotaped Mr. Jackson's arrest in the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport hangar because it was an unusual arrest of a high-profile suspect and they were uncertain whether it would proceed smoothly. They said they did not videotape the booking process inside the County Jail because it was proceeding in an uneventful fashion.
Sheriff's Department authorities say that arrests are typically only videotaped when they involve high-risk incidents, such as the capture of a murder suspect, or large crowds, such as protests. A videotaping system in the jail is activated only during bookings or other activities when problems arise, authorities said.
The videotape from inside the hangar shows sheriff's authorities meeting Mr. Jackson, accompanied by his attorney and security staff, as they exit the plane that brought the singer from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara. Everyone is shown shaking hands, and Mr. Jackson is then escorted by detectives to a waiting vehicle. He stands behind an open rear door, where detectives then handcuff him. Mr. Geragos walks up to Mr. Jackson and speaks with his client before the singer steps into the detectives' car.
Wednesday's press conference was the first time Sheriff Anderson has faced the media to address Mr. Jackson's allegations, which were first raised by Mr. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, in a television interview earlier this month. The sheriff responded with a brief written statement that Mr. Jackson had been "treated with courtesy and professionalism."
The day after the "60 Minutes" interview aired, the sheriff issued another press release stating the same thing.
Former Sheriff Jim Thomas speculated on why his successor decided to answer the accusations more specifically.
"I think their initial reaction was that we're just going to give our denial and this thing will pass," Mr. Thomas said. "But then they saw the dynamics of the worldwide media involving Mr. Jackson... I think as this thing kept going another day or so they figured, 'We need to do something on this.'"
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.newspress.com/mjacksonupdate/01...eriffdenies.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Super-Geragos al ataquerrrrrlllll!!!!
January 1, 2004
Sheriff denies Jackson mistreated
Anderson calls for probe to prove star lied about injuries
By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
MIKE ELIASON/NEWS-PRESS
Sheriff Jim Anderson refutes Michael Jackson's accusations during a press conference Wednesday. "He was in no way manhandled or abused."
Armed with video footage and audiotapes, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson strongly denied that his deputies injured Michael Jackson during the entertainer's arrest and called for an investigation by the state attorney general to prove it.
During a press conference Wednesday, the sheriff also said that if Mr. Jackson's accusations are deemed unfounded, he will request that charges be filed against him for making a false report of peace officer misconduct.
The sheriff showed a video of what appeared to be an uneventful arrest and then played an audiotape on which Mr. Jackson could be heard whistling and replying "wonderful" to detectives who asked if he was OK as they transported him to the Santa Barbara County Jail on Nov. 20.
Attorney General Bill Lockyer confirmed in a statement Wednesday afternoon that he had launched the investigation: "At the request of the Santa Barbara Sheriff, I have directed special agents from my Division of Law Enforcement with the assistance of senior attorneys from my Civil Rights Enforcement Section and Criminal Law Division to conduct an independent investigation into whether the rights of Michael Jackson were violated when he was booked and arrested earlier this month."
Mr. Lockyer indicated he could not predict when the investigation would be completed. "But we will work as quickly as possible to conduct a thorough and fair investigation and review all of the facts before reaching a conclusion. Once our investigation is completed, we will make our findings public and ensure that appropriate action is taken as necessary."
Sheriff Anderson's comments drew an immediate response from Mr. Jackson's attorney, Mark Geragos, who said in a News-Press interview that he warned the sheriff not to play the tapes because they were an invasion of his client's privacy and were part of an ongoing investigation.
"I specifically sent a letter to the sheriff this morning warning him of the consequences of showing those tapes," Mr. Geragos said. "It's not only illegal and in violation of several statutes, but it also doesn't answer the question of whether abuse occurred."
During an interview on "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, Mr. Jackson accused the deputies of injuring him, claiming his shoulder was dislocated and arms bruised while he was being arrested and booked on suspicion of committing multiple counts of child molestation.
Michael Jackson displays his right arm in this undated photo released by the office of his attorney, Mark Geragos.
Sheriff Anderson said at the press conference that he considered Mr. Jackson's accusations on television "a formal citizen complaint," which would mean the entertainer could be charged with filing a false report if they aren't substantiated.
Mr. Geragos disagreed. He said charges cannot be pressed against his client for filing a false report when no formal written report has been filed.
"It's a joke," Mr. Geragos said. "In fact, it would be laughable if it wasn't so sad that Santa Barbara County's chief law enforcement officer is so lacking in his grasp of criminal law."
Mr. Geragos said he contacted the Attorney General's Office and requested "they widen their investigation into the case from its inception."
That would include why Santa Barbara County authorities charged Mr. Jackson with child molestation after Los Angeles authorities deemed last February that allegations against the singer were unfounded.
Mr. Lockyer could not be reached for comment on this issue.
A source close to the defense told the News-Press that Mr. Geragos is expected to file a motion soon asking the judge to remove both Sheriff Anderson and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon from the case because he believes his client cannot receive fair treatment and that the criminal investigation was legally flawed.
During the press conference at Earl Warren Showgrounds, Sheriff Anderson denounced Mr. Jackson's accusations: "He was in no way manhandled or abused. His treatment by this department can only be described as professional. I am shocked and troubled by his allegations."
MIKE ELIASON/NEWS-PRESS
Mr. Jackson claimed in a CBS interview that he was injured when deputies handcuffed him. On Wednesday, Sheriff Jim Anderson, far left, holds a press conference to denounce the accusations of mistreatment.
He played the audiotape that was made as deputies drove Mr. Jackson to the jail. On it, the singer can be heard complaining that the handcuffs hurt.
"Scoot forward a little bit," a detective can be heard telling him. "There you go."
"Thank you," Mr. Jackson said. A couple of minutes passed and Mr. Jackson asked: "Can you put the air on please? Thank you."
"Is that OK for you, Mr. Jackson?" the driver asked.
"Wonderful. Thank you," he responded.
Sounds of the car traveling and Mr. Jackson whistling can then be heard.
"We're almost there," a detective said. "You OK, Mr. Jackson?"
"Yes, fine," he answered. Crowds can be heard cheering for Mr. Jackson as he steps out of the vehicle and is then escorted into the jail.
Sheriff Anderson said the handcuffs were removed from Mr. Jackson about 40 seconds after his arrival and that the total time from when he entered and exited the jail was 63 minutes.
"At no time during this process did Mr. Jackson complain of any injury incurred during the course of the arrest or mistreatment by the jail staff," the sheriff said.
He also discounted the singer's accusations that deputies locked him inside a room smeared with feces for 45 minutes when he asked to use a bathroom at the County Jail. The sheriff said Mr. Jackson was placed alone in a holding cell, which had just been cleaned, for about 15 minutes.
Mr. Geragos said his client stands by his accusations.
During the "60 Minutes" interview, the singer claimed: "They were supposed to go in, and just check fingerprints and do the whole thing that they do when they take somebody in. They manhandled me very roughly. My shoulder is dislocated, literally. It's hurting very badly. I'm in pain all the time.... It's very swollen.... It keeps me from sleeping at night."
Mr. Geragos said he didn't think his client needed to be handcuffed in the first place: "I have surrendered in excess of 1,000 people over my 20-year career to both the courts and police stations and I have never seen anyone placed in handcuffs for a perfunctory booking when bail is ready to be posted."
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE
Authorities said they videotaped Mr. Jackson's arrest in the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport hangar because it was an unusual arrest of a high-profile suspect and they were uncertain whether it would proceed smoothly. They said they did not videotape the booking process inside the County Jail because it was proceeding in an uneventful fashion.
Sheriff's Department authorities say that arrests are typically only videotaped when they involve high-risk incidents, such as the capture of a murder suspect, or large crowds, such as protests. A videotaping system in the jail is activated only during bookings or other activities when problems arise, authorities said.
The videotape from inside the hangar shows sheriff's authorities meeting Mr. Jackson, accompanied by his attorney and security staff, as they exit the plane that brought the singer from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara. Everyone is shown shaking hands, and Mr. Jackson is then escorted by detectives to a waiting vehicle. He stands behind an open rear door, where detectives then handcuff him. Mr. Geragos walks up to Mr. Jackson and speaks with his client before the singer steps into the detectives' car.
Wednesday's press conference was the first time Sheriff Anderson has faced the media to address Mr. Jackson's allegations, which were first raised by Mr. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, in a television interview earlier this month. The sheriff responded with a brief written statement that Mr. Jackson had been "treated with courtesy and professionalism."
The day after the "60 Minutes" interview aired, the sheriff issued another press release stating the same thing.
Former Sheriff Jim Thomas speculated on why his successor decided to answer the accusations more specifically.
"I think their initial reaction was that we're just going to give our denial and this thing will pass," Mr. Thomas said. "But then they saw the dynamics of the worldwide media involving Mr. Jackson... I think as this thing kept going another day or so they figured, 'We need to do something on this.'"
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.newspress.com/mjacksonupdate/01...eriffdenies.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Super-Geragos al ataquerrrrrlllll!!!!
