Handcuffed Jackson Surrenders to Police

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday November 20, 2003 11:25 AM EST

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Under a heavy cloak of security, Michael Jackson flew from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, Calif., on Thursday and surrendered to sheriff's deputies on charges of child molestation.

After touching down at Santa Barbara Airport, Jackson, 45, was swept into a sheriff's vehicle and taken to an inmate reception center. Jackson wasn't seen by TV cameras until about 12:25 p.m. PST -- when he exited the vehicle in handcuffs and entered the rear door of the center.

He was booked, photographed, fingerprinted and asked to surrender his passport before posting $3 million bail, said his attorney, Mark Geragos.

Speaking outside the sheriff's office, Geragos told reporters: "Michael is here. He came back to confront these charges head-on. He is outraged. He considers this to be a big lie."

The attorney added that Jackson "categorically denies" the charges.

News coverage aired live from the Santa Barbara Airport after Jackson left Las Vegas in a Gulfstream jet late Thursday morning. The plane touched down and immediately pulled into a hangar to prevent news cameras from capturing who might have been exiting the aircraft.

Police officers surrounded the hangar, and by 12:15 p.m., the sheriff's caravan left the airport.

The erstwhile King of Pop was in Las Vegas shooting a music video this week when authorities announced they had obtained an arrest warrant, following allegations of abuse reportedly made by a 12-year-old boy. Fox News reported that the victim was a cancer sufferer who claimed Jackson gave him wine before molesting him at the Neverland Ranch.

Prior to his arrest Thursday, Jackson's spokesman, Stuart Backerman, said the entertainer had made arrangements through his attorneys "to confront and prove these charges unfounded." Jackson this week also hired Geragos, the high-profile attorney who is currently defending Scott Peterson on murder charges.

In his statement, Backerman said: "The outrageous allegations against Michael Jackson are false. Michael would never harm a child in any way. These scurrilous and totally unfounded allegations will be proven false in a courtroom."

If convicted, Jackson could face a minimum of three years in prison and a maximum of eight years for each molestation count. (There are multiple charges awaiting Jackson, but the exact number is not known.)