Jack McClellan

Jack McClellan on a talkshow

Jack McClellan (b. roughly 1963) is a self-identifying pedophile, who beginning in June 2007, gained widespread publicity after extensive media coverage of his now-defunct website, Stegl. Stegl featured a rating system for ongoing events at which readers could watch girls, leading to accusations of incitement. McClellan remains controversial among the public and other childlovers alike.

McClellan has been featured on multiple national news programs because of his views and legal battles surrounding his beliefs and opposition to them. After a shortlived relocation to Portland, Oregon, McClellan moved back to Los Angeles. He soon relocated back to Portland.

On the web

McClellan is a semi-frequent poster on GirlChat. He has also run multiple websites where he documents his experiences and findings. While he resided in Washington state he ran "Seattle-Tacoma-Everett Girl Love" (Stegl) and later "Los Angeles Girl Love" after moving to California. One of his sites was taken down by his Internet service provider, while his first site was voluntarily taken down after pressure from the local community. He later put his website back up, in October 2007, detailing Portland area festivals and events.

Drugs

McClellan is a frequent user (and advocate) of psychoactive stimulants such as magic mushrooms, but has never been caught in the possession of drugs. His websites have often listed these stimulants among a host of peripheral topics.

Timeline

• August 4, 2007: A California judge issued a temporary restraining order to prevent McClellan from being within 30 feet (9.1 m) of a child at any time in the state of California. The lawyer who pushed for this move (Anthony Zinnanti) went on to be a frequently consulted talking-head in the media storm that followed.

• August 14, 2007: McClellan was arrested on the University of California, Los Angeles campus on suspicion of violating his restraining order by unknowingly sitting by a daycare facility for children aged three months to three years. He was told by campus police not to return. Later, after being released on his own recognizance, he was arrested on charges of trespassing while being interviewed in a campus parking lot.

• August 24, 2007: A judge narrowed the restraining order and issued a permanent injunction that prohibits Mr. McClellan from coming within 30 feet (9.1 m) of schools, playgrounds and other places where children congregate. In response to this McClellan stated he will leave California, calling the rulings "Orwellian".

• August 27, 2007: McClellan was briefly considered a person of interest in the murder of a 10 year old girl in Washington. This was because an intersection in the area where the girl disappeared had been listed in his past website "Seattle-Vancouver Street Prostitution Guide" and one he had visited in the past.

• January, 2009: The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles upheld the 2007 Superior Court injunction in California, after an appeal by McClellan.

Further actions

In Portland (where he settled in March 2008) McClellan has been excluded by the city's transport system, Powell's City of Books & The Grotto, an outdoor Catholic shrine.

In reaction to McClellan's activities, California Assemblyman Cameron Smyth has introduced a bill to make "similar" actions a criminal misdemeanor. The bill would make it illegal to engage in surrograte stalking, "the act of publishing photos, physical descriptions, and/or locations of children with the intent that another person uses that information to commit a crime against a child".

Television

Steve Wilkos goading his audience with McClellan's example

In 2007 McClellan frequently (and indiscriminately) accepted offers to appear on television and radio shows, eventually lowering his profile in 2008 and 2009. Often choosing to be interviewed by rabidly hostile opponents such as Steve Wilkos and Glenn Beck (See YouTube results), McClellan found it particularly hard to defend himself and was often completely overwhelmed by the experience of being systematically humiliated for the entertainment of viewers. In one incident, a characteristically intense Wilkos pulled a chair from beneath McClellan, and the production company deliberately supplied him with bizarre outfits to appear in.

A number of GirlChat members have raised concerns over the effectiveness of McClellan's media advocacy, describing it as useless or counteractive, or suggesting that he may be working for an opponent group. Others have congratulated him on his bravery, suggesting that despite his many bad decisions and missed opportunities, any publicity that even in the slightest, humanizes a pedophile may be positive.

Internet hysteria

After hearing about McClellan on the news, blogger and webmaster Ron Tebo created the website JackMcClellan.com. Tebo said that his fight against McClellan was personal, partly in reaction to his own abuse at the hands of a neighbor when he was six years old. Tebo used his site to keep web users up to date about McClellan's activities and whereabouts. Before starting the site, he contacted McClellan and had several e-mail conversations with him, and publicly refers to him by his first name. The two have appeared on television programs together, and at one point Tebo defended McClellan on The Steve Wilkos Show against what he described as a bullying studio audience and talk show host. After joining Girl Chat, Ron Tebo later changed the site so that rather than focusing on Jack McClellan, it provides links for child safety, to KidsHealth and NetSmartz.org articles.

Mistreatment

McClellan claims to have been pursued, harassed and mistreated by police officers on multiple occasions, whilst in and out of custody.

See also

• List of anti-pedophile quotes - Attacks on McClellan.

External Links

Web:

• Stegl archive - One of many domains once used by McClellan. Since Stegl, McClellan's website changed name frequently as he moved around the country, resurfacing as www.pdxgl.info in 2008. There is currently no website available.

Audio:

• Rick Roberts podcast

Video:

• YouTube
• KATU
• KOMOTV