Man Who Called Himself Pedophile Blogger Is Arrested

Here’s one blogger who we would not email and say “Hey, do you want to exchange links.” But, then his blog is down, but it’s likely he’ll get a lot of hits later on — if he’s in jail:

A man who blogs about his attraction to young girls but says he doesn’t touch them was arrested Monday near a university child care facility with a camera, police said.

Jack McClellan, 45, who is unemployed and lives out of his car, was arrested at 1:40 p.m. at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus police said in a statement. He was arrested near the university’s Infant Development Program, which provides onsite care for children 3 months to 3 years old and serves faculty, students and staff, according to the university’s Web site.

McClellan violated a restraining order requiring him not to loiter or congregate within 30 feet of minors, police alleged. He was released and scheduled to appear in court Sept. 13.

Phone and e-mail messages seeking comment from McClellan were not immediately returned.

The AP story recounts the furor McClellan sparked in California when he arrived from Washington state, were he had lived with his parents. It has been clear the past few weeks that he enjoyed the publicity he was getting…and he sure got it as his story unfolded:

For years, McClellan maintained a Web site in Washington where he posted photos of children he had taken in public places. He also discussed how he liked to stake out parks, public libraries, fast-food restaurants and other areas where little girls, or “LGs,” congregate.

McClellan’s server took his Web site down over a month ago. He said in an interview a few weeks ago that he wasn’t sure whether he would try to put it back up.

McClellan, who said he lives on supplemental security income and suffers from depression, has maintained that he launched the site as a form of therapy and wouldn’t do anything illegal.

This story has a couple of factors worth noting. One: right now almost anything is available on the Internet but it can vanish if there is a clamor. Two, anyone can start a weblog (although there are more political blogs such as TMV — and not as many pedophile blogs). And, three, when people read a blog or post they have no idea where it’s being written from. He was living in his car (this post you’re reading now is written from a hotel in Pocatello, Idaho by the way).

The idea that some guy can write on a blog about his sexual interest in kids outraged parents. Sherry Colb, writing on FindLaw did a column that began:

Jack McClellan, a man who proudly calls himself a pedophile, blogs about his sexual interest in little girls and calls his readers’ attention to various locations where interested parties can find large numbers of children (including international cities where children tend to be unsupervised).

Parents in Los Angeles, where McClellan lives, have reacted to the blog by, among other things, publicizing where he was “last seen” and otherwise attempting to keep track of his travels.

In addition, parents and others have expressed the wish to do more to protect children from this self-described pedophile. Some would doubtless like to lock him up (or, at the very least, prohibit the website). In this column, I will consider the question of whether or not such aspirations are realistic and analyze how McClellan’s blogging resembles and differs from other threats to children’s safety.

Read her take on it.

TWO OTHER WEBPOSTS OF INTEREST:
Restraining Order Issued Against Pedophile Blogger:
Pedophile Blogger Raises First Amendment Issues, Unbidden Big Lebowski Associations