Jackson flies in for arrest, but doesn't stay long

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Michael Jackson, with his hands cuffed behind his back, was led into jail Thursday and booked on charges of molesting a child, beginning what promises to be one of the biggest legal spectacles in years.

As Jackson was being photographed and fingerprinted inside the Inmate Reception Center at the Santa Barbara County Jail, his attorney, Mark Geragos, stepped before a small forest of microphones and called the charges against the entertainer "a big lie."

"He is greatly outraged by the bringing of these charges," Geragos said. "Michael has given me the authority to say on his behalf these charges are categorically untrue. He looks forward to getting into a courtroom, as opposed to any other forum, and confronting these accusations head on."

Authorities set Jan. 9 for an arraignment before a judge in Santa Barbara Superior Court. Jackson posted $3-million bail and surrendered his passport before he was released, officials said. Jackson waved to reporters and flashed a V-sign before leaving the jail in a black Suburban escorted by three sheriff's motorcycle deputies.

Officials did not disclose details of the charges against Jackson or identify the victim of the alleged acts. They said Jackson would be charged with multiple counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14, charges that could send him to prison for more than 10 years. Prosecutors indicated formal charges would be filed in coming days, but offered no explanation for the unusual delay.

The New York Times reported an acquaintance of the family at the center of the case said the charges involved a 12-year-old cancer patient who was an overnight guest at Jackson's ranch, Neverland, on several occasions last winter. The acquaintance said the family has been under psychiatric care and was not seeking monetary damages from Jackson. Ten years ago, Jackson wasn't prosecuted on charges involving a 13-year-old boy after reaching a multimillion-dollar settlement with his family.

Thomas Sneddon, Santa Barbara County district attorney, said the victim of the alleged acts was cooperating with authorities and would testify against Jackson.

Jackson arrived by private jet shortly before noon and was arrested at 12:05 p.m. behind the partially closed doors of a hanger, shielded from the numerous television cameras tracking his every move. Sheriff's deputies placed him in the back of an unmarked sedan and drove him to the jail, where he was led through a back entrance into the building.

A sheriff's deputy guarding the entrance said all suspects entering the jail are handcuffed behind their backs. "Just standard operating practice," she said.

Cameras stationed above the entrance showed Jackson with his shoulder-length hair falling over the collar of a dark suit jacket.

He was inside for about 45 minutes. Sgt. Chris Pappas said Jackson and his entourage were cooperative and the processing took place without incident.

Jackson reboarded his private jet and flew back to Las Vegas, where he has been for the last three weeks shooting a music video and a CBS special. CBS canceled the show, which was to have aired next week, after the charges against Jackson were announced on Wednesday.

Helicopter shots from Las Vegas showed Jackson's black SUV stuck in traffic on several occasions with well-wishers mobbing the car. The back window opened and a spectral hand reached out to shake hands.

Stuart Backerman, a Jackson spokesman, issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon elaborating on Geragos' earlier assertions about the charges against Jackson.

"The big lie against Michael Jackson is anchored in the most vicious allegation imaginable, one that resonates across every culture: the spectacle of harming a child," the statement said. "That spectacle invites outrage, and it should. But this spectacle is rooted in a lie."

The statement went on, "Michael said, "Lies run sprints, but the truth runs marathons. The truth will win this marathon in court.' Michael is going to defend himself with the force of his spirit, as would anyone falsely accused of something so monstrous."

Jackson's unusual lifestyle has often drawn ridicule, occasionally outrage.

He has slept in a hyperbaric chamber, tried to buy the Elephant Man's bones, gone through a pair of quickie marriages that befuddled many and utterly transformed his face through plastic surgery. His skin tone has changed from dark to a pale white, a change Jackson blames on vitiligo, a disorder marked by pigment loss.

While Jackson's career has faded as his behavior has gotten increasingly bizarre, his last album, 2001's Invincible, sold about 2-million copies - great numbers for most artists but far below his once phenomenal sales.

Jackson has spoken openly about sharing his bed with young children, saying it is "beautiful" and nothing to be ashamed of.

In a documentary that aired on BBC in England in February and later on ABC, Jackson and a boy talked about sharing Jackson's bedroom at Neverland.

The interviewer, Martin Bashir, at one point questioned the propriety of a middle-age man sharing a bed or bedroom with children not related to him.

"I've slept in a bed with many children," Jackson said. "It's very right. It's very loving. That's what the world needs now, more love."

Jermaine Jackson, an older brother of the pop superstar and with him one of the members of the hugely popular Jackson 5 recording group of the 1960s and '70s, expressed fury on Thursday at the charges. On CNN, he denounced the charges and proclaimed Michael's innocence.

"The whole family supports Michael 100 percent, 1,000 percent. Michael is innocent," Jermaine Jackson said.

"We will fight and we will stand up and everybody who knows us from around the world will support us," he said. "Because at the end of the day, this is nothing but a modern-day lynching. This is what they want to see - him in handcuffs. You got it! But it won't be for long, I promise you."

- Information from the New York Times and the Associated Press was used in this report.

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