Shane Sparks, judge on MTV's 'America's Best Dance Crew,' arrested on suspicion of child molestation [Updated]

Shane Sparks, a judge on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," was arrested this morning on suspicion of felony child molestation, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Sparks was taken into custody at his North Hollywood home at 8 a.m., said Officer Gregory Baek. He is being held in lieu of $590,000 bail.

Authorities released few details but said the alleged crime occurred in the 1990s and that authorities only recently learned about it. More details are expected to be released later today.

[Updated at 6:30 p.m.: The Los Angeles district attorney’s office filed an eight-count felony complaint today against Sparks, alleging multiple lewd acts upon a child, starting in 1994. It identified the victim as a girl who was younger than 14 years old when the incidents began.]

Sparks is a hip-hop choreographer who snagged an Emmy nomination for choreography work on ”So You Think You Can Dance.”

Police say he is 40 years old, but his website says he’s 35.

-- Seema Mehta

Comments

[yvette winslow]

Personally I think pedophiles are the lowest form of life,and should be eradicated from the face of earth.I still
have to take into consideration(THE LAW),statue of limitations .If this happened in the 90's how can he be prosecuted?

[cachimbon]

wow another entertainer that likes to molest little kids. what is the name of that director that sodomized a 13year old and is living in luxury or how about that pop dancer\singer that liked to mess with little boys. kids are not safe in hollyweird...........

[effen_what]

statue of limitations doesn't hold for serious offenses like murder, often rape robbery and arson. However there are tons of question like why the wait? Is he being set up for not completing some type of agreement. Its doesn't sound right. Shes after something besides justice. Maybe shes being payed to ruin him

[k]

This is a shocking news, but let the law does its job, remember this is USA where you are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Cachimbon, these kind of stuffs happen EVERYWHERE, not just in Hollywood. But you are right, kids are never really safe especially in their own home because molestation mostly happen at home or by family members and close friends.

[bobjone]

Come on people, innocent till proven guilty. You guys no nothing about the case and are ready convict..

[Terri]

In the mid nineties (about fifteen years ago) he was twenty five. I personally know of someone who dated a man in his mid twenties when she was fourteen/fifteen years old. She got pregnant by him. It took her ten years to realize that this was statutory rape. She now feels like the father of her child took advantage of her age and innocence.

Having said that, Sparks is innocent until proven guilty.

[Keisha]

Supposedly this all happened in 1994 (which is 14 years ago). Hasn't the statute of limitations for this particular crime been reached already? And why all of a sudden did this come up now? This sounds really weird to me...

[Johnny_Blaze]

This is HIGHLY suspect!

[V]

In response to Terri's comment, a 25 year old man shouldn't want to date a 15 year old girl to begin with. That's gross and wrong. And the parents shouldn't have let her date a grown man in the first place. I have a feeling Sparks is guilty on all counts.

[Here we Go]

Okay if this really happened why would she wait 15 years to come forward? I'm not defending him at all but you shouldn't just automatically suspect him just because some woman said he molested her. Remember this is Hollywood and people lie to get money, if you ask me I think she's lying being under the circumstances that
1. He has money and is famous
2. It doesn't take 15 almost 16 years to come forward about something like that
3. This has happened before, not the exact circumstance but people have lied to get money from celebrities.
Besides even if he were guilty, how would anyone be able to prove it so? It's his word against hers and her word isn't looking too good right about now.