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AREA LAWYERS, LEGISLATOR SEEK TO STOP PEDOPHILE AND 'SURROGATE STALKING'.


Byline: HARRISON SHEPPARD and BARBARA CORREA

Staff Writers

A Los Angeles-area admitted pedophile pedophile Forensic psychiatry A person with pedophilia; there are an estimated 500,000 pedophiles in the world. See Child prostitution, Megan's law, Pedophilia.  whose Web site boasts the best public places to leer at children has run into legal hot water as activists and legislators step up a campaign to shut him down.

Two Valencia attorneys, both fathers of young girls, have filed for a restraining order restraining order: see injunction.  against Jack McClellan Jack McClellan is a self-proclaimed pedophile and pro-pedophile activist who became embroiled in a series of controversies beginning in June 2007 over his visits to public venues and events in which young girls are likely to be present, and his photographing such venues and events , who has been ordered to appear in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850.  Superior Court in Chatsworth on Friday.

Meanwhile, a state lawmaker has begun drafting a bill that would criminalize crim·i·nal·ize  
tr.v. crim·i·nal·ized, crim·i·nal·iz·ing, crim·i·nal·iz·es
1. To impose a criminal penalty on or for; outlaw.

2. To treat as a criminal.
 "surrogate stalking" -- or providing information that helps pedophiles commit crimes against children.

"He is basically staking out and advising pedophiles on the best places in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , or previously in Washington (state), to find little children," said Assemblyman Cameron Smyth Cameron Smyth is a Republican who has represented Califoria's 38th Assembly district since December of 2006. He succeeded Keith Richman who was term limited.

Prior to being elected to the state legislature, Assemblyman Smyth served on the Santa Clarita City Council, where he
, R-Santa Clarita, who is authoring legislation to address such activities.

"We believe by posting these Web sites and these reviews of communities, he is willfully willfully adv. referring to doing something intentionally, purposefully and stubbornly. Examples: "He drove the car willfully into the crowd on the sidewalk." "She willfully left the dangerous substances on the property." (See: willful) , knowingly putting children in a situation where they are endangered and could have physical or mental suffering."

Run out of town

McClellan, who was driven out of the Seattle area by a group of activist mothers, relocated to Southern California this year. The Daily News first wrote about him in June as a group of mothers launched a grass-roots effort to run him out of town.

McClellan has not been convicted of any crimes relating to relating to relate prepconcernant

relating to relate prepbezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc 
 pedophilia pedophilia, psychosexual disorder in which there is a preference for sexual activity with prepubertal children. Pedophiles are almost always males. The children are more often of the opposite sex (about twice as often) and are typically 13 years or age or younger; , but he operated a Web site that listed and rated various locations for watching children. He also has personally admitted in television interviews being attracted to young girls.

While McClellan's site has since been shut down, he is trying to re-establish it with a new host company.

Attorney Richard Patterson Richard Patterson can refer to several people:
  • Richard Cunningham Patterson Jr. (1886-1966) - A US ambassador
  • Richard Patterson (weightlifter)
  • Richard Patterson (artist) (born 1963)
, one of the lawyers who has filed for a restraining order against McClellan, said the order would prohibit him from coming to Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , a city he has targeted as a desirable place to live and observe children.

The order also would bar McClellan from photographing minors and posting those images on a Web site, and it would pave the way for more legal action to stop him.

"If the court acts on this, we have the right to take depositions and then we can find out if he has done criminal acts and maybe give the police something they can go on," Patterson said.

McClellan did not return several calls seeking comment.

Patterson and attorney Anthony D. Zinnanti attempted to serve McClellan with a notice of the injunction Tuesday after an MSNBC MSNBC Microsoft/National Broadcasting Company  show taping in Burbank. But Zinnanti said McClellan left out a back door, aided by MSNBC security.

"I was at the back end of the lot on Bob Hope (Drive), and then we got information that he was going out the front doors," he said. "MSNBC security helped him get away."

MSNBC spokeswoman Leslie Schwartz disputed that and said Zinnanti and McClellan would not have crossed paths because program guests enter the studio from the Olive Avenue entrance, not the Alameda Avenue entrance.

"In order to be allowed on the lot, you need to have an appointment and be cleared in advance," Schwartz said.

Patterson said the lawyers do not need to physically serve McClellan with the order because they have left messages on his cell phone, informing him of the issue.

No more pictures

In several television appearances in recent days, McClellan has said he has already stopped taking pictures of kids in response to parents' outrage.

In a video interview with MSNBC's Dan Abrams Dan Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is the host of Live with Dan Abrams Monday-Thursday at 9pm ET and chief legal correspondent for NBC News. Additionally Abrams is General Manager of MSNBC, a position he will be stepping down from in mid October when MSNBC moves to 30 Rock in NYC.  on Tuesday, McClellan said he has learned a lesson and has stopped going to public events and taking pictures.

"I've listened to all the criticism, the outrage about the photographs," McClellan said, wearing sunglasses in the studio as he spoke. "I want to make this clear: I'm definitely not going to go to these events, and I'm not going to be taking pictures where I'm focusing on girls, or going back to the computer at home to crop them out to focus on girls. I'm not doing that anymore at all.

"I've never done anything illegal with a child," he added.

But Smyth said he is drafting legislation to curtail activities such as McClellan's and is holding a Santa Clarita town-hall meeting on the issue Aug. 8.

Smyth, a father of two young boys, said his bill would prohibit "surrogate stalking" -- or any activities that would assist child molesters with finding potential victims.

The bill would make such activities a misdemeanor, similar to current law that targets child custodians who allow children to be abused or molested mo·lest  
tr.v. mo·lest·ed, mo·lest·ing, mo·lests
1. To disturb, interfere with, or annoy.

2. To subject to unwanted or improper sexual activity.
.

Based on that law, violations are not likely to result in jail time, Smyth acknowledged, but penalties can include a minimum 48 months' probation, a criminal-court protective order and mandatory child-abuse treatment counseling.

It could also aid law enforcement in shutting down such Web sites, he added.

But if introduced as regular legislation, the bill likely could not take effect until 2009, Smyth said.

While Smyth has introduced it as an urgency measure so it could take effect immediately, that requires a two-thirds vote.

Meanwhile, Smyth's wife, Lena, is involved with a group of mothers who have been spurred by McClellan's activities to start a California chapter of Mothers Against Sexual Predators, the same group that helped drive McClellan away from Seattle.

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com

(916) 446-6723

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(color) Two Valencia attorneys have filed for a restraining order against admitted Los Angeles-area pedophile Jack McClellan.
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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Aug 2, 2007
Words:905
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