
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 23, 1993                   TAG: 9312230213
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES                                LENGTH: Short

`DON'T TREAT ME LIKE A CRIMINAL'

Reclusive superstar Michael Jackson fought back Wednesday against child molestation allegations, and described a court-ordered body search as "the most humiliating ordeal of my life."

"I am totally innocent of any wrongdoing and I know these terrible allegations will all be proven false," Jackson said in a live four-minute message televised worldwide from his Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County.

"Don't treat me like a criminal because I am innocent."

Jackson, who previously hadn't been seen in public since he returned to Southern California this month, confirmed for the first time he was forced to undergo the body search by criminal investigators. In his most forceful remarks since he was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, Jackson called the search "dehumanizing and humiliating."

The boy had given police a detailed description of the entertainer's private parts, which could be crucial to verifying the boy's claims, sources close to the case have said.

A criminal investigation began four months ago. No charges have been filed.

by CNB