LOS ANGELES, Dec 23 (AFP) - Police and investigators probing child molestation charges against superstar Michael Jackson" on Friday launched a fresh search on his famed Neverland Ranch, detectives said.
The reason for the latest raid, which took place just over a year after an initial swoop on the sprawling estate in California, was not immediately clear.
"At around 9:00 am (1700 GMT), sheriff investigators served a search warrant at Neverland Ranch ... as part of an ongoing criminal investigation," said Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department spokesman Chris Pappas said.
It was not known whether Jackson was present at the ranch when the raid, one of a number of recent searches in the ongoing probe against him, began.
Jackson was arrested two days after the initial November 18, 2003 swoop on his rural estate and was later charged with molesting a 12-year-old boy at Neverland in February and March of last year.
Jackson has pleaded innocent to a 10-count indictment that accused him child abuse, plying the boy with alcohol to seduce him and with counts of conspiring to kidnap and illegally imprison the youth and his family.
12/03/2004 19:51 GMT - AFP