Judge Is Assigned to Jackson Case

A Santa Barbara Superior Court judge known for his soft-spoken style and his pioneering work to establish drug courts throughout the state has been selected to preside over the Michael Jackson child molestation case.

Judge Rodney S. Melville, 62, one of 10 judges assigned to the Santa Maria courthouse where Jackson’s case will be tried, is also known as a skilled horseman. He and his wife, Vicki, routinely relax by taking part in “team penning,” a sport in which riders separate horses from a herd and corral them.

Jackson, 45, was charged Thursday with seven felony counts of child molestation and two additional felonies alleging that he gave an “intoxicating agent” to a young cancer patient earlier this year with the intent of seducing him.

Free on $3-million bail, Jackson hosted a party attended by several hundred supporters at his Neverland Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley this weekend and has persuaded a prosecutor and judge to let him travel to England for business.

Just the filing of the charges against Jackson drew a crowd of more than 100 reporters, photographers and camera crews from around the world. The trial itself is expected to attract hundreds to the northern Santa Barbara County city of 85,000 people.

Melville is assistant presiding judge for the county’s Superior Court system and is scheduled to become presiding judge in 2005. He was picked for the Jackson case by the current presiding judge, Clifford R. Anderson.

Melville’s first exposure to the full force of the media coverage of the case will be Jan. 16, when Jackson is scheduled to be arraigned.

The entertainer has maintained his innocence and says his accusers are attempting to extort money from him.

Melville’s background and courtroom demeanor make him a perfect choice for the Jackson case, lawyers agreed Tuesday. He was previously an assistant district attorney in San Bernardino and Santa Barbara counties, a specialist in family law, and has been a judge since 1987.

“He’s an old-time veteran, a straight shooter,” said Santa Barbara attorney Robert F. Landheer. “He’ll be able to deal with the whole show up there. The media. Any fireworks between the prosecution and defense. It’s a great choice, probably as good as they could have made.”

Melville would not discuss any aspect of his life or the case Friday, but June profile of the judge in the Los Angeles Daily Journal quoted him as saying he is a recovering alcoholic who got sober in a recovery program 25 years ago and who still works closely with alcoholics trying to quit drinking.

The judge said in the interview that his own battle with alcoholism had helped him work with the people who come to his courtroom. A decade ago, he established a drug court in Santa Barbara County that became a model for others in the state.

Melville served on the executive board of the California Judges Assn. for four years, was named California’s Judicial Officer of the Year for 2001 by the state probation officers association, and was honored for his work with the mentally troubled by the California Coalition for Mental Health earlier this year.