By Dan Whitcomb
Santa Maria, California - Jurors in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial completed their first full day of deliberations on Monday without reaching a verdict, while outside court the unexpected appearance of the pop star's apparently confused father nearly touched off a brawl.
Jackson, who spent five hours at a local hospital on Sunday for what his publicist said was a recurring back problem, did not appear in public, though his motorcade was seen leaving Neverland Valley Ranch several times.
The jury of eight men and four women also stayed behind closed doors, deliberating for six hours without reaching a verdict. They sent a single note to the judge, but the nature of their inquiry was kept secret by court officials.
At mid-morning hundreds of reporters and dozens of Jackson fans waiting in front of the courthouse were caught off guard when Jackson's father, Joseph, suddenly walked up the street and onto the grounds.
With camera crews jockeying for position and fans screaming for the press to leave him alone, the elder Jackson approached a barricade and told sheriff's deputies that he was looking for his son.
"Where's my son? I want to see my son," the agitated father repeatedly asked deputies. One officer responded: "He's not here. He's at home."