Parents’ Ire Grows at Pedophile’s Unabashed Blog (part one of story)

by generaldecay | August 20, 2007 at 03:26 am

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This is a story I've been following for some time now, and my fascination with it continues to grow.

The basic story is that a self-confessed pedophile in LA, Jack McClellan, was keeping a blog about his 'interest' in children, and this (unsurprisingly) caused concern for parents in his area. Although the police were aware of the blog and of McClellan activities, they felt unable to intervene because he had yet to commit an offence against children.

My interest in the story is a legal one, though and amounts to this: Although McClelland talked about this interest in children, he did not actual commit any acts with or against children. Therefore, can law enforcement agencies act in any way if this person has not broken any laws?

The search for the self-described pedophile in the large-brimmed black hat commences nearly every day here, with findings posted on chat rooms frequented by mothers.

...

And yet unlike convicted sex offenders, who are required to stay away from places that cater to children, in this case the police can do next to nothing, because this man, Jack McClellan, who has had Web sites detailing how and where he likes to troll for children, appears to be doing nothing illegal.

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Mr. McClellan has refrained from posting pictures of children on his Web site, which was shut down by its host several weeks ago but which
he intends to start again, he said, with a Dutch host. On the site, he has described fairs, festivals and other spots that he hits at least three days a week, all to the fury of parents.

It is both his actions and inactions that vex law enforcement officials here, who, while suggesting that they keep an eye on Mr. McClellan when they can, say they have no legal recourse against him.