Convict charged with child molestation

Nickelodeon employee and convicted offender faces up to seven years in prison.BURBANK -- A Nickelodeon employee was charged Monday with child molestation and attempting to show a porno movie to a minor, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said.

Ezell Channel faces up to seven years in state prison, for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old Burbank boy, officials said.

Burbank Police arrested the 36-year-old Tarzana resident on Friday after a report from the child’s mother led them to conduct a two-day investigation into Channel’s behavior, said Sgt. Jay Jette.

Channel was working as a temporary employee of Nickelodeon Studios when he allegedly befriended the boy, police said.

On Nov. 20, the boy was visiting Channel at Nickelodeon to get help with his homework when Channel allegedly invited the child to watch a pornographic movie with him on his laptop computer, said Jane Robison, news secretary for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

But before they could watch the movie, the boy had to go home, Robison said, and during the car ride, Channel allegedly molested the boy.

Channel is a convicted sex offender, said Sandi Gibbons, public information officer for the District Attorney’s Office, which helped tip off the boy’s mother to what was going on when she searched for Channel’s name on the “Megan’s Law” website, an Internet site that identifies registered sex offenders.

“He was convicted on Jan. 29, 2003, and he was placed on probation for five years,” Gibbons said of the previous offense.

The 2003 conviction was for a lewd and lascivious act on a child 14 or under, Gibbons said.

Police arrested Channel Friday afternoon in the Nickelodeon parking lot, Jette said.

“He had been inside the building, and then he stepped out into the parking lot area,” he said. “He had come out of his own accord, and was then contacted by officers.”

The Burbank Police Department encourages parents to keep track of who their children befriend and where they go, Jette said.

“It’s always better to err on the side of caution,” Jette said. “It’s a different world, and we need to be very careful with our children.”