The Santa Barbara District Attorney's office refused Wednesday to comment on reports that a warrant for Michael Jackson's arrest has been issued. CNN, NBC and Court TV have all reported that police are seeking the pop icon's arrest.
The reports come on the heels of an all-day search of the singer's Neverland Ranch in California on Tuesday.
Police say they went to Neverland estate "to serve a search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation," but a Jackson family lawyer confirmed the raid was sparked by new child-abuse allegations against the 45-year-old father of three.
"The search warrant indicated that there is an accusation by a 12-year-old boy who says that he was molested and the police are seizing information that they feel is relevant to that accusation," Brian Oxman, the lawyer, said on Wednesday.
Police say they will announce details of the search at a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST) today.
Mr. Jackson has been in Las Vegas for the last three weeks shooting a music video denounced media coverage in a statement released to Associated Press by spokesman Stuart Backerman.
"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 Jackson statement said, referring to Tuesday's release of a greatest hits album, Number Ones.
More to come