Brown Howard, the 43-year-old Chief of the Santa Barbara Police Department, had just been appointed by the Municipal Government last year.
At this age, he was experienced and knowledgeable, in his prime, with a promising future.
However, something unexpected happened yesterday: Prosecutor Tom Schneider had locked up the superstar Michael Jackson, and it was for a child molestation case.
By the time Brown Howard learned of the matter, it was already too late; Jackson had already been brought to the police station.
The American judicial system has its independence; Prosecutors are arguably the most powerful officials in the criminal justice system, wielding immense and almost unchecked discretionary power.
At the same time, just as national, state, county, and city governments do not govern each other, Prosecutors also do not govern each other; they are only accountable to their respective level of government.
There's a very real example: Jack was once investigated by a New York County Prosecutor for a hush-money incident, and the Prosecutor's goal was naturally to send him to prison to prevent him from running for election again.
A county Prosecutor can issue an arrest warrant and directly arrest a former president, simply because he committed an offense in his jurisdiction—that's how powerful American Prosecutors are!
Prosecutors and the police are two separate systems; the latter is obligated to cooperate with the former in handling cases.
Both are generally appointed directly by the Municipal Government, so as Chief, Howard's rank was indeed higher than Tom Schneider's.
But the awkward part was that he had no power to restrain him; only the Municipal Government could.
Yet, with Jackson brought to his territory, he was the one who had to bear the trouble—it was Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, with countless fans.
So, Brown Howard deliberately stayed at the station, not going home, to prevent Tom Schneider from doing anything irrational.
Schneider's prejudice against Jackson had long spread among their group; no one knew why, but that's just how he was.
Sitting in a comfortable chair, Howard ate the breakfast his subordinate brought him.
"Oppose abuse of power!"
"Oppose racial discrimination!"
"Oppose violent enforcement!"
Suddenly, violent shouts erupted outside. Brown Howard jolted, and the sandwich in his hand dropped to the floor 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 police station entrance at some point, and it was still growing.
These people held up placards and shouted slogans, clearly there to support Michael Jackson.
Especially when he saw many major media outlets setting up cameras, with long and short lenses aimed at the front of the crowd, he instantly felt a headache.
"Damn it, I knew something would happen. This bastard causes trouble, but I have to clean up his mess!"
He quickly made calls, summoning several deputy chiefs and captains for a meeting.
A few minutes later, only three people arrived.
"Why only you? Where are the others?"
"Chief, I just contacted Charles; he's stuck outside and is trying to get in."
"The back door, can't he just come through the back door?"
"The back door is also surrounded by many people, and there are just as many media outlets. Not just Charles, many of us are stuck outside."
Brown Howard pointed outside: "What do these people want to do? Who knows? Didn't we say it was confidential? Who leaked that Michael Jackson is being held here?"
A captain walked in, holding a notebook: "Chief, take a look at this."
Brown Howard looked at the screen, which displayed Yahoo News. The entertainment and social sections prominently featured Michael's alleged unfair treatment.
However, there was no video yet, only pictures of the damaged Neverland Ranch.
"Santa Barbara Police Raid Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, Wantonly Destroying Private Property!"
"Prosecutor Abuses Power, Violently Searches Neverland Ranch, Michael Jackson Abruptly Taken Away!"
"When Will the Judicial System Remain Fair? Procedural Justice is Nonexistent!"
"An Invasion of Any Lawful Citizen is Unfolding!"
Looking at these headlines, especially seeing the room destroyed as if by a hurricane, Brown Howard's eyes widened.
"Why are there such photos? Did they go robbing? Call Schneider over! No, I'll go find him."
The group rushed to the interrogation room, only to find Tom Schneider had resumed questioning.
However, with Lawyer Meserio present, he dared not go too far, and his attempts at inducing confessions and leading questions were exposed on the spot.
Bang!
The interrogation room door was forcefully pushed open: "Tom, come out with me!"
Seeing the Chief of Police's displeased face, Tom Schneider felt something was amiss.
Although he had no authority over him, a harmonious relationship was still necessary; otherwise, if he gave an order, not a single police officer would cooperate with him.
Mesereau, meanwhile, smiled at Michael: "It seems we'll be out soon."
In the adjacent room, Chief Brown looked angrily at the person in front of him.
"Tom Schneider, look at the mess you've made! As an experienced Prosecutor, how could your handling of the case be so imprecise!"
"Conducting a search in Michael Jackson's absence—do you not know he is not yet a criminal, he is protected by law?"
"And even if it was a search, why was the scene left in such disarray? Look at the good job you've done."
Tom Schneider quickly looked at the news on the notebook and was also startled.
"I heard there are many cameras installed inside Neverland Ranch. You really are audacious. Now the outside is surrounded by reporters and the public; you must give them an explanation. The Santa Barbara Police Department will not take the blame for you!"
Signaling the other party not to get angry yet, Tom Schneider carefully recalled yesterday's situation and meticulously examined the photos.
After a while, he suddenly grinned and said: "Chief Brown, there's no need to make a fuss. In my opinion, this is nothing but a clumsy frame-up."
"Haha. Neverland Ranch does have cameras, but we blocked them using technical means. I investigated before going, otherwise, why do you think I dared to make such a big show? I certainly understand the threat of public opinion."
"Are you sure?" Brown Howard looked at him suspiciously.
"Absolutely sure. And if you look closely at the photos, they are just some broken furniture. There are no people in them at all, so who can prove we did it?"
"Who would dare say that Michael Jackson didn't deliberately damage the house himself to frame the police?"
After Tom Schneider finished speaking, everyone present felt enlightened. That makes sense, wouldn't that reverse the situation?
As for whether Jackson was at Neverland Ranch at the time, although he wasn't there, many of the staff he employed were, so it wasn't truly deserted.
This point might have procedural flaws, but it's not fatal and is barely defensible.
Thinking of this, Tom Schneider confidently said: "I'll handle those people outside. It's a good opportunity for me to use these media outlets to build momentum."
At the main entrance of the Santa Barbara Police Department, hundreds of people loudly demanded an explanation and Michael's release. For a while, emotions ran high.
Various TV stations were busy recording the scene and interviewing the protesting supporters.
The people Chen Xing hired had all undergone simple training beforehand, knowing what to say and what not to say, not to mention many genuine fans were mixed in among them.
They angrily expressed their opinions, complaining about the police's injustice.
Just as the scene was chaotic, the police station gate opened, and Tom Schneider and a few police officers walked out.
He took the microphone and shouted loudly: "Quiet, everyone quiet, listen to me, I will give you an explanation."
Seeing that the police were finally going to respond directly, the crowd gradually quieted down.
"Hello everyone, I am Tom Schneider, Santa Barbara City Prosecutor, and the person in charge of the Michael Jackson child molestation case. You can ask me any questions you have."
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 and raided Neverland Ranch yesterday?"
Tom Schneider shook his head: "Miss Reporter, I need to correct your terminology. Currently, Jackson is not yet a criminal, and this was not an arrest, but merely a normal summons and inquiry."
"Furthermore, your term 'raid' is also very inaccurate. We conducted a routine inspection at Neverland Ranch with a search warrant."
As he spoke, he produced a document, and a flurry of camera flashes erupted below.
"Prosecutor Schneider, you said that Jackson is not yet a criminal, which means he is very likely to become one. Is that what you mean? Has the police already obtained crucial evidence?"
Behind Schneider, several police officers who participated in the interrogation cursed under their breath.
After an entire night of interrogation, they had obtained nothing; with a prominent lawyer present, not a single hair of information was extracted.
And after searching Neverland Ranch for a long time, they also found no evidence whatsoever.
They did discover a few Playboy magazines featuring mature and sexy women, but didn't that indirectly prove Jackson's sexual orientation was normal?
But Tom Schneider's words were different. He said with a serious expression: "I cannot disclose the specific details of the case, but I can tell everyone that both the investigation and other aspects are progressing very smoothly. We have already obtained evidence, and I believe there will be a result very soon."
Upon hearing this, everyone present looked at each other in dismay. To the average person, a smoothly progressing case means the investigation is clear, implying that Michael Jackson has likely confessed to the crime.
And this is actually a common police tactic: using ambiguous rhetoric to create a smokescreen, thereby misleading the public to put pressure on the subject of the investigation, which is what Tom Schneider called 'building momentum'.
Watching the commotion in the crowd below, Tom Schneider nodded to himself and turned to leave.
"Wait, Prosecutor Schneider, you still haven't answered two key questions." An ABC Online reporter shouted loudly.
"What questions? Please ask."
"Regarding the news currently circulating online, are you aware of it?"
Tom Schneider replied with an air of nonchalance: "Yes, I've been following it."
"Then how do you explain it?"
Clearing his throat, Tom Schneider confidently said: "I don't think it's necessary to spend a lot of words explaining, because anyone with independent thought would not be misled by online rumors."
"First, regarding Jackson's presence: I admit he was indeed not present at the time, but the online news did not tell everyone that there were still over a dozen people inside the ranch at the time, all of whom were Jackson's employees, absolutely not the empty premises everyone imagines."
"The search was conducted in their presence, and this process was not illegal."
"Then there are those few pictures. To me, they are utterly ridiculous. To claim police violence in a search based solely on a few photos of smashed items is completely unfounded."
"I can assure everyone that yesterday's search was fully legal and compliant, and there was absolutely no issue of violence."
"Then how do you explain those photos?" A Fox News reporter continued to press.
After a moment of silence, noticing everyone intently watching him, Tom Schneider slowly began: "It's simple. I have reason to suspect that Michael Jackson himself caused all of this."
"He intentionally damaged his own property by instructing his employees, with the aim of framing the police, attracting attention, garnering sympathy, and clearing his name. If you simply look at legal history, you'll know this is a common tactic used by many criminals."
Tom Schneider emphasized the word "criminals."
"At Neverland Ranch at the time, besides us, there were only them. There was no third party. So this is blatant slander, a provocative desecration of Prosecutors and the police."
"I hope everyone can remain rational and learn to think. You can see there isn't even a single police officer in the photos. Isn't that enough proof?"
"The photos were clearly taken afterward, they were staged, staged with an ulterior motive."
After Tom Schneider finished explaining, the reporters present immediately felt he had a point. In the absence of a third party, everyone naturally sided with their own.
Therefore, it was indeed highly possible that Michael Jackson's side fabricated facts.
Especially in this era without body cameras, this was getting interesting; the direction of the wind was likely to change.
And just as Tom Schneider, with his eloquent tongue, was turning the tide and feeling triumphant,
A masked man in the crowd suddenly shouted: "Prosecutor Schneider, can you truly guarantee that you did nothing wrong and that all procedures were legal?"
"Of course, I can guarantee with my badge that everything I said is true." Tom Schneider did not back down.
"Good, very good, Mr. Prosecutor, your courage is admirable. Then, why don't you take a look at this!"
Boom!
Suddenly, a deep rumble attracted everyone's attention. All of them couldn't help but turn around and look behind them.
Across the street, a giant electronic screen gradually rose into the sky. Then the screen lit up, and even in broad daylight, it was clearly visible.
Just as everyone wondered what this was about, the screen immediately switched to a video of police officers causing extensive damage.
Everyone was stunned at first, then they reacted, and the scene instantly erupted into a sea of gasps and anger.
Tom Schneider felt a chill shoot straight to his head, his eyes went black, as if someone had punched him heavily in the head.
"It's over!"