America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 160, 159. Fishing, a fatal blow!

Santa Barbara Police Department Chief Brown Howard is 43 years old and was only appointed as police chief by the city government last year.

At this age, they are experienced and knowledgeable, in their prime, and have a promising future.

However, something unexpected happened yesterday: Prosecutor Tom Schneider actually imprisoned the big star Michael Jackson because of a child molestation case.

By the time Brown Howard found out about it, it was too late; the people had already been taken to the police station.

The U.S. judicial system is independent, and prosecutors are among the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, exercising enormous and virtually unrestricted discretionary power.

At the same time, just as the national, state, county, and city governments are not subordinate to each other, prosecutors are also not subordinate to each other; they are only responsible to the government at their own level.

A very real example is that Chuan Bao was once investigated by the New York County Attorney for hush money, whose purpose was naturally to send him to jail in order to prevent him from continuing to run for office.

A county prosecutor can issue an arrest warrant and arrest a former president simply because you committed a crime on my turf. That's how powerful prosecutors are in the United States!

Prosecutors and police are two separate systems, and the latter are obligated to cooperate with the former in handling cases.

Both were generally appointed directly by the municipal government, so as the bureau chief, Howard's official rank was indeed higher than Tom Schneider's.

The awkward thing is that he doesn't have the power to restrain the other party; only the municipal government does.

But when someone is brought to his territory, he has to take the blame for the trouble. That person is none other than Michael Jackson, the King of Pop with countless fans.

So Brown Howard deliberately didn't go home, staying at the police station to prevent Tom Schneider from doing anything irrational.

This guy's prejudice against Jackson had been known in their group for a long time, and nobody knew why, but that's just how he was.

Sitting in a comfortable chair, Howard ate the breakfast brought by his subordinates.

"Oppose the abuse of power!"

"Stop racial discrimination!"

"Oppose police brutality!"

Suddenly, a violent roar rang out outside. Brown Howard jumped, and the sandwich in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

He listened carefully, walked to the window, and pulled up the blinds. He saw that a large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the police station, and the crowd was still growing.

These people were holding up signs and chanting slogans, clearly there to show their support for Michael Jackson.

Especially when he saw the front of the crowd, where many major media outlets had set up cameras and were pointing their long lenses at him, he suddenly felt overwhelmed.

"Damn it, I knew something like this would happen. This bastard caused all this trouble, and now I have to clean up his mess!"

He hurriedly made a phone call, summoning several deputy directors and team leaders to a meeting.

A few minutes later, only three people arrived.

"Why are you the only ones here? Where is everyone else?"

"Chief, I just contacted Charles. He's stuck outside and we're trying to get him in."

"If you're going through the back door, can't you just come in through the back door?"

"There were also a lot of people surrounding the back door, and there were just as many media people there. It wasn't just Charles; many of us were stuck outside."

Brown Howard pointed outside: "What are these people doing? Who knows? Weren't we supposed to keep it a secret? Who leaked that Michael Jackson was locked up here?"

A team leader walked in carrying a laptop: "Chief, take a look at this."

Brown Howard looked at the screen, which displayed Yahoo News, with prominent headlines in the entertainment and social sections highlighting the unfair treatment Michael Jordan had received.

However, there is no video available yet; only pictures of the damaged Dream Farm have been attached.

Santa Barbara police raided Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, causing extensive damage to personal property!

"Prosecutors abused their power, violently searched Neverland Ranch, and Michael Jackson was suddenly taken away!"

"When will the judicial system remain impartial? Procedural justice has completely vanished!"

"An attack on any law-abiding citizen is underway."

Brown Howard's eyes widened as he looked at the headlines, especially at the images of rooms ravaged as if by a hurricane.

"Why would they have these photos? Did they go on a robbery? Get Schneider here! Never mind, I'll go find him."

The group rushed to the interrogation room and found that Tom Schneider had started interrogating them again.

However, with lawyer Meserio present, he dared not go too far, and his attempts to elicit a confession and use leading language were exposed on the spot.

boom!

The interrogation room door was pushed open forcefully: "Tom, come out with me for a moment!"

Seeing the police chief's unfriendly expression, Tom Schneider had a bad feeling.

Although the other party has no right to control him, a harmonious relationship is still necessary; otherwise, no police officer will cooperate with him if the other party gives an order.

Messerio smiled at Mike: "Looks like we'll be out of here soon."

In the next room, Chief Brown glared angrily at the person in front of him.

"Tom Schneider, look at the mess you've made! As an experienced prosecutor, how can your investigation process be so sloppy!"

"A search was conducted in Michael Jackson's absence. Do you know he's not a criminal? He's protected by law."

"And if you're going to search, why did you leave the scene in such a mess? Look at the mess you've made."

Tom Schneider quickly glanced at the news on his laptop and was immediately taken aback.

"I heard there are a lot of security cameras installed inside Neverland Ranch. You're incredibly audacious. There are reporters and members of the public gathered outside. You have to give them an explanation. The Santa Barbara Police Department won't take the blame for you!"

Signaling to the other party not to be angry, Tom Schneider carefully recalled the events of yesterday and then examined the photos closely.

After a while, he suddenly grinned and said, "Chief Brown, there's no need to make a fuss. In my opinion, this is nothing more than a cheap frame-up."

"Hehe. There are indeed cameras at Dream Manor, but we've blocked them all with technical means. I investigated before I went there. Otherwise, why do you think I dared to make such a big fuss? Of course I understand the threat of public opinion."

"Are you sure?" Brown Howard looked at the other person suspiciously.

"I'm absolutely certain, and if you look closely at the photos, they're just some broken furniture; there's no human figure in them at all. So who can prove it was us?"

"Who can say that Michael Jackson didn't deliberately damage the house to frame the police?"

After Tom Schneider finished speaking, everyone present seemed to have been enlightened. That made sense. Wouldn't that turn things around?

As for whether Jackson was at Neverland Ranch at the time, although he wasn't, many of his employees were there, so it wasn't truly deserted.

This may be a procedural flaw, but it's not fatal and is barely acceptable.

With that in mind, Tom Schneider said confidently, "I'll take care of those people outside. I also want to use these media outlets to create momentum."

At the main entrance of the Santa Barbara Police Department, hundreds of people shouted for an explanation and demanded the release of Michael, creating a highly charged atmosphere.

Television stations are busy recording the scene and interviewing people who are showing their support for the protests.

The people Chen Xing hired had all undergone basic training beforehand, so they knew what to say and what not to say. Moreover, there were quite a few genuine fans mixed in among them.

Their angry expressions spoke of the injustice done by the police.

Just as the scene was in complete chaos, the police station doors opened, and Tom Schneider and several police officers came out.

He picked up the microphone and shouted, "Quiet, everyone quiet, listen to me, I will give you an explanation."

Seeing that the police were finally going to give a direct response, the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Hello everyone, I'm Tom Schneider, the Santa Barbara City District Attorney, and the lead investigator in the Michael Jackson child molestation case. Feel free to ask me any questions."

Upon hearing this, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times was the first to speak: "Prosecutor Schneider, were you the one who arrested Michael Jackson yesterday and raided Neverland Ranch?"

Tom Schneider shook his head: "Miss reporter, I need to correct your wording. Jackson is not a criminal at the moment, and this is not an arrest, but just a normal summons and questioning."

"Furthermore, your description of a raid is very inaccurate. We were conducting a routine inspection of Dream Manor with a search warrant."

As he spoke, he took out a document, and a frenzy of applause erupted below.

"Prosecutor Schneider, you said that Jackson is not currently a criminal, which means he is very likely to become one. Is that what you mean? Has the police obtained any crucial evidence?"

Behind Schneider, several police officers who had participated in the interrogation were cursing under their breath.

They interrogated him all night, but they got absolutely nothing out of him. Even with a top lawyer right there, they couldn't get a single clue out of him.

Moreover, after searching for a long time in Dream Farm, no evidence of hair was found.

I did find a few Playboy magazines, all featuring mature and sexy women. Doesn't that indirectly prove that Jackson's sexual orientation was normal?

But Tom Schneider's response was quite different. He said with a serious expression, "I cannot disclose the specifics of the case, but I can tell you that the investigation and other aspects are progressing very smoothly. We have obtained evidence, and I believe there will be a result soon."

Upon hearing this, everyone present exchanged bewildered glances. To most people, the smooth progress of the case meant that the investigation was complete, implying that Michael Jackson had most likely confessed to the crime.

This is actually a common tactic used by the police: using ambiguous language to create a smokescreen, thereby putting pressure on the subject of the investigation by confusing the public—what Tom Schneider calls "building momentum."

Looking at the commotion in the crowd below, Tom Schneider nodded to himself and turned to leave.

"Wait, Prosecutor Schneider, you still have two crucial questions to answer," an ABC Online reporter shouted.

"What's the problem? Please ask."

Are you aware of the news circulating online right now?

Tom Schneider replied nonchalantly, "I know, I've already taken note."

"So, what is your explanation?"

Clearing his throat, Tom Schneider said confidently, "I don't think it's necessary to waste a lot of time explaining, because people with independent thinking won't be misled by rumors on the internet."

"First, there's the question of whether Jackson was present. I admit he wasn't there at the time, but the online news didn't tell everyone that there were more than a dozen people in the manor at the time. They were all Jackson's employees, and it was definitely not empty as everyone imagined."

"The search was conducted in their presence, and the process was not illegal."

"Then there were those pictures, which I find utterly ridiculous. To say that the police conducted a violent search based on just a few pictures of smashed things is completely unfounded."

"I can assure everyone that yesterday's search was entirely legal and compliant, and there was absolutely no violence involved."

"Then how do you explain these photos?" the Fox News reporter pressed.

After a moment of silence, noticing that everyone was looking at him intently, Tom Snyder slowly spoke: "It's simple. I have reason to suspect that Michael Jackson himself was the one who caused all of this."

"By instructing his employees to deliberately damage his property, he aimed to frame the police, attract attention, gain sympathy, and clear his name. Anyone who knows a little about judicial history knows that this is a common tactic used by many criminals."

Tom Schneider emphasized the word "prisoner".

"At that time, there was no one else in the Neverland Ranch except us and them. So this is a blatant slander and a provocation and desecration of the prosecutors and the police."

"I hope everyone can remain rational and learn to think. Look, there isn't a single police officer in the photos. Isn't that enough proof?"

"The photos were clearly taken afterward; they were retaken, and they were retaken with a specific purpose."

After Tom Schneider finished explaining, the reporters present immediately felt that it made sense; without a third party, everyone would naturally speak from their own side.

Therefore, it is indeed very possible that Michael Jackson's side fabricated the facts.

Especially since there are no body cameras in this era, this is going to be interesting; the wind may be blowing in a different direction.

Just as Tom Schneider was turning the tide with his silver tongue and feeling triumphant,

A masked man in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Prosecutor Schneider, can you really guarantee that you didn't do anything and that all the procedures were legal?"

"Of course, I can vouch for it with my badge; everything I'm saying is true," Tom Schneider said firmly.

"Very good, very good, prosecutor. Your courage is admirable. Now, let's take a look at this!"

boom!

Suddenly, a deep rumble drew everyone's attention, and everyone turned around to look behind them.

Across the street, a huge electronic screen gradually rose into the sky, then lit up, becoming clearly visible even in daylight.

Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, the scene immediately switched to a video of the police causing widespread destruction.

Everyone was stunned at first, then they realized what was happening, and the scene instantly erupted into a sea of ​​exclamations and anger.

Tom Schneider felt a chill run down his spine, and his vision went black, as if someone had punched him hard on the head.

"It's over!"

Thank you Luciferhx for the generous donation, and thank you to all the readers for your continued support.

(End of this chapter)