Proud California pedophile creates stir

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A 45-year-old, publicity-seeking, self-proclaimed pedophile in Santa Monica, Calif., has stirred up nervous tension among parents.

Jack McClellan has appeared on television talk shows to explain his fascination with little girls, whom he referred to as "LG's" on a now shut-down Web site he started, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

He isn't a registered sex offender and has no criminal record, although the Special Victims Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is researching him and Santa Monica police are keeping close tabs on him, the report said.

Last week, officers approached him at a fast-food restaurant after a nervous mother reported seeing him in the children's section of a library.

As a result of his notoriety, two Santa Clarita, Calif., lawyers filed court papers on behalf of their daughters to get a restraining order that would keep McClellan out of establishments where children congregate. A court is to consider that filing Friday, the newspaper said.

Child safety advocate Pattie Fitzgerald said McClellan is likely just out for attention but has accomplished something else.

"One good thing is he's gotten parents to stop and think about some safety rules," she told the Times.