Prosecutors in Michael Jackson Case Oppose Bail Reduction

The LA prosecutor's office has deemed Michael Jackson a flight risk and has asked that a request for a reduction to his $3 million bail be denied. Deputy District Attorney Gerald Mc Franklin feels that the county bail schedule, which calls for a potential maximum bail of $435,000 for the child molestation and conspiracy charges brought, are not applicable due to the fact that Jackson is not a normal defendant.

"The defendant here is 'Michael Jackson, international celebrity,' a man whose life style would not have prepared him to adapt readily to a prison environment and routine, and whose physical stature will present its own problems for him, in making the necessary adjustments. The temptation to flee must surely be strong for an individual in (the) defendant's circumstances. To suppose otherwise would be to blink reality," said the motion.

The motion also sites Jackson's enormous wealth and the likelihood that many nations throughout the world would be more than willing to accommodate him with open arms.

"Mr. Jackson is known and adored, 'adored' is not too strong a word, in many of the countries of Europe, the Near East, and Africa. Several of those countries do not have extradition treaties with the United States," said the motion "... he may well conclude that life as a wealthy absconder in one of these countries is preferable to what might amount to a life term in a California prison."

While the motion to deny the proposed bail reduction did acknowledge that Jackson has attended all court appearances required of him, it attempted to draw parallels between this case and the case of Andrew Luster. Luster, an heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune, fled from Ventura County to Mexico during his rape trial with no regard for his $1 million bail. Luster was eventually captured in Mexico.

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to child molestation, administering an intoxicating agent, and a conspiracy count that includes allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville, on May 28th in Santa Maria, California, set the trial date for September 13, but did not rule on the bail issue.