December 5, 1382 (Azar 5, 1382) - Tom Sneddon Apologized

Tom Sneddon, the Santa Barbara judicial investigator, apologized in response to criticism of his joking behavior at last week’s press conference about some of the remarks he made after the arrest of Michael Jackson. In an exclusive interview with Art Harris of CNN, he said, “I used humor a few times to deflect the questions, and I guess the reporters were offended.” Referring to his statement that the media circus gathered around the Jackson issue would cause money to flow into California’s economy, he said, “I think the criticism of what I said was fair. I feel that to some extent what I said wasn’t appropriate.” He continued, “I feel bad about it because I think I should have had more information. I feel bad because I think someone might take my remarks to mean that I’m saying that something serious has happened — that a serious crime occurred — and that there are victims and affected families.” He also apologized for his remarks in his interview on November 29 with Court TV, in which he referred to Michael as someone whom everyone calls Wacko Jacko (“the weird weirdo,” a reference to Michael). He said, “In my interview with Diane Dimond, when referring to Mr. Jackson, I used words that were slangy or demeaning. The moment I said that sentence, I realized it wasn’t appropriate, it wasn’t professional, and I immediately regretted it. My wife criticized me when she saw the interview. I should be blunt: if my mother were still alive, she would have punished me for not being a good person. I feel bad for saying that.”