Wednesday November 19th authorities announced that an arrest warrant has

been issued for Michael Jackson also know as the King Of Pop. He is being accused of an unspecified amount of  multiple counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.  Formal charges are expected to be filed after Thanksgiving.

Jackson continued to work on the final touches of his current video despite the fact that the fact that the Santa Barbara District Attorney Thomas W. Sneddon Jr demanded his return and the fact he had a warrant out for his arrest.

Jackson's attorney Mark Geragos made formal statements claiming that Jackson came back to confront the charges head-on, and Michaels spokesperson Stuart Backerman calling the current allegations "outrageous."

The Santa Barbara Sheriff Jim Anderson said that authorities were "in contact"

with Jackson's lawyers and that Michael Jackson had been given the opportunity to surrender "within a specified period of time."

The following statement was made on Nov 19th, 2003 by Jim Anderson:

Yesterday morning at around 8:30 a.m., investigators from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department and the Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office served a search warrant at the Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos. Simultaneous to the service of the warrant at the Neverland Ranch, two search warrants were also served in Southern California. Approximately seventy investigators from the Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office were involved in the service of the warrant at the Neverland Ranch. The operation was concluded at around 11:00 P.M. last night. The service of these warrants was part of an ongoing investigation alleging criminal misconduct on the part of Michael Jackson.

The basis for this investigation regarding Mr. Jackson involves allegations of Child Molestation, 288 (a) of the California Penal Code.

Mr. Jackson has also been directed to surrender his passport when he is taken into custody.

While we appreciate the level of interest generated by this case, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department is committed to maintain the integrity of this investigation with respect to both legal and ethical considerations.

We will not be commenting on issues specific to this investigation beyond what has already been released.

Jim Anderson,SHERIFF