Investigators Deny Leaks

Someone's been leaking something in Michael Jackson (news)'s child-molestation case, but Santa Barbara sheriff's investigators want to make clear that they're not the ones responsible. On Monday, the sheriff's office posted a message on its Website denying that it had released confidential material to the media and stating that an investigation had been launched to determine who might be responsible. Authorities said that the release of the materials was a crime, as they are covered by Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville's strict gag order over the case. "Recently there has been a noticeable increase in the release to the public of highly confidential transcripts, investigative reports, and documents about the Michael Jackson case," the statement read. "We consider the release of these materials to be a violation of the law. Some media commentators have alleged that we are responsible for these leaks. We are not. These accusations are irresponsible, unfounded and untrue." The statement came in response, at least in part, to a recent ABC News report that quoted from sealed transcripts of grand jury testimony given by Jackson's accuser. ABC News has not revealed how it happened to come by more than 1,900 pages of grand jury testimony. In California, grand jury transcripts are normally made public 10 days after they are received by the defendant. However, Melville has elected to keep the Jackson transcripts sealed, along with most other materials relating to the case, a decision that has rankled many media hides.