Sources: Probe concludes Jackson not 'manhandled'
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The California attorney general's office has determined that Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputies treated pop star Michael Jackson properly when he surrendered himself to them last year, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN late Sunday.
Jackson told CBS' "60 Minutes" in December that he was "manhandled very roughly" when he was taken into custody on child molestation charges a month earlier -- a charge the sheriff's department denied.
Jackson, 45, surrendered to authorities November 20, 2003, to face multiple allegations of child molestation. 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.
Jackson, who is free on $3 million bail, has said he is innocent. He is scheduled to attend a pretrial hearing on the case Monday. (Full story)
At the time the charges of mistreatment were made, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson asked the state attorney general to investigate.
"Should this investigation prove the charges made by Mr. Jackson to be groundless, I will request that criminal charges of false report of peace officer misconduct be pursued against him," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson told reporters.
Anderson has not said if he will now pursue such charges.
"Michael Jackson was treated with the utmost respect and courtesy during his arrest, transport and booking," Anderson said in December.
"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."
In the December 28, 2003, "60 Minutes" interview, Jackson said deputies dislocated his shoulder by manhandling him, fastened his handcuffs tight enough to leave his wrists swollen, and locked him in a feces-smeared restroom for about 45 minutes.
In an audiotape played for reporters in December, Santa Barbara County deputies advise Jackson how to sit more comfortably wearing handcuffs, after Jackson said they hurt him during his trip from the airport to the county jail. Later, Jackson asks to have the air conditioning turned up; when deputies did so and asked how he was doing, Jackson tells them: "Wonderful."
"He was also whistling and singing to himself during transport," Anderson said at the time.
The handcuffs were removed about 40 seconds after Jackson arrived at the jail, Anderson said. He also disputed Jackson's assertion that deputies dislocated his shoulder, noting that a videotape shows Jackson waving to onlookers upon his release.
"This activity is inconsistent with Mr. Jackson's claims of injuries incurred during his arrest and booking," Anderson said.
Jackson also complained to "60 Minutes" that police taunted him after locking him in a bathroom that had been smeared with feces.
"It stunk so bad," he said. "Then one of the policemen came by the window, and he made a sarcastic remark. He said, 'Does it smell good enough for you in there? How do you like the smell? Is it good?' And I just simply said, 'It's all right. It's OK.' So I just sat there and waited."
But Anderson said the toilet in the holding cell that Jackson was allowed to use was cleaned shortly before the singer's arrest, and he said neither Jackson nor his lawyers made any complaints at the time.
"I think Mr. Jackson has seriously hurt his credibility," Anderson said at the December news conference.
