Nearly a decade after the first set of disturbing allegations, Michael Jackson is once again being hit with charges of child molestation. The charges this time around stem from accusations made by a 12-year-old Los Angeles boy.The boy apparently revealed - in therapy - that Jackson had sexually abused him.

The singer has garnered, for years now, controversy about his eccentric lifestyle and seemingly inappropriate fixation on children.
On Nov. 18, the Santa Barbra County Sheriff's Department served several search warrants on Jackson's famed Neverland Ranch, based on the accusations made by the as-yet-unnamed boy. Officers left the ranch with boxes of files and papers, as well as several computers. The Sheriff's office has declined to comment about exactly what was found in the search. The New York Post reported on Monday that police removed love letters, but the rumor has been neither confirmed nor denied by official sources.

Regardless of what exactly was found on the ranch, it obviously was enough to qualify a warrant for Jackson's arrest. That warrant was issued the following day, while Jackson was in Las Vegas. The icon flew back to Santa Barbra on his private jet, Thursday. He was met at the airport by both the press and the police; he avoided the former by waiting until his plane was inside its hangar before exiting, but there was no way to avoid the police. A savvy cameraman caught Jackson being led into the police station, handcuffed.

Once back in Santa Barbra, Jackson was processed by the police department, willingly giving the police a mug shot and fingerprints. He was also asked - and complied with the request - to surrender his passport in order to ensure that Jackson will not try to leave the country while his trial is being prepared. His bail was set at $3 million, which he posted immediately, and was then released. The entire process took under an hour. Afterwards, Jackson once again boarded his private jet to fly back to Las Vegas.

The Santa Barbra District Attorney's office has said that Jackson will be charged and tried under clause 228(a) of the California Penal Code. That clause outlaws any and all "lewd or lascivious acts" committed against a child under the age of 14. The details of Jackson's alleged treatment of the boy have not been released.

There has been a minor controversy about whether or not the charges have been beefed up by District Attorney Tom Sneddon. Sneddon was the prosecutor in charge of the 1994 civil case filed against Jackson by a 13-year-old boy with very similar claims. The suit was settled out of court between Jackson and the boy's family for an undisclosed sum of money. At the time, the public speculated as to whether or not Jackson had bought the family in order to get them to drop charges. Sneddon expressed his anger at not being allowed to try the case. Jackson shot back in a track on his 1995 double-album "HIStory" entitled "D.S." The song blatantly attacked Sneddon, although disguised his identity to a small degree. The chorus of the song featured the line "Dom Sheldon is a cold man" repeated over and over again, pronounced in such a way that one could easily mistake it for "Tom Sneddon is a cold man." The song also featured thinly veiled lyrics that were jabs at Sneddon: "They want to get my ass / Dead or alive / You know he really tried to take me / Down by surprise" and "He want your vote / just to remain D.A."
Critics of the D.A. have further blasted his bias in this situation by citing instances of Sneddon smiling and smirking at the various press conferences he has held since these charges surfaced. Sneddon has denied these allegations, however, claiming that he has no bias and he holds no grudge against Jackson. Instead, he has said that he is focusing on presenting a clear and honest case, and only wants to do justice for the victim.

Jackson is not being quite so diplomatic. In a statement released to the press, Jackson said, "I've seen lawyers who don't represent me and spokespeople who do not know me speaking for me. These characters always seem to surface with dreadful allegations just as another project, an album, a video is being released."

The project that Jackson is refering to is a collection of his number one hits, released last Tuesday. MTV news posted a transcript on its website of a press conference given by Sneddon and Santa Barbra Sheriff Jim Anderson in which Sneddon denied Jackson's accusation.

"So it really has nothing to do with his album or whatever else he's doing in his life," the District Attorney claimed, "We don't track him." The timing of the arrest is irrelevant, however, since Jackson's hits compilation is already slated to be number one in England this coming week.

Jackson's fans have already rallied behind their hero. MTV News reported that demonstrations of support occurred all around the world on Saturday, from the streets of Los Angeles to the Spanish Steps in Rome. Fans are dismissing the charges against Jackson as another family trying to cheat their favorite singer out of the millions of dollars he has worked so hard for.

Most of the country and the world are simply waiting to see what comes to light during the trial. Jackson has said that he wants everything to play out in the courtroom, instead of in the national press. His spokesman, Stuart Backerman, said in a statement, "Michael said, 'Lies run sprints. The truth runs marathons.' The truth will win this marathon in court.