Mothers Fight Back Against Pedophile's Web Site

July 30, 2007 — -- Moms fearing for their children's safety are teaming up against a man who prowls playgrounds, amusement parks and fairs stalking little girls and then brazenly boasts about his exploits on his Web site.

Even though Jack McClellan calls himself a pedophile, legal experts say he hasn't broken any laws.

"I just think they're cute, a lot cuter than women," McClellan said.

McClellan has operated detailed Web sites rating the best public places to watch young children at play and posting photos he's taken at events. He even rated locations based on how many little girls, or LGs as he call them, are there.

"He is a reviewer, a pedophile reviewing places for other pedophiles to go," said child predator safety educator Pattie Fitzgerald, of safelyeverafter.com.

One Los Angeles mother accidentally came upon McClellan's Web site and realized that he was describing her young son who she had taken to a festival.

"Immediately my skin began to crawl," said Jane, who asked that her last name not be used. "I thought this man is talking about my child. Who is this man? Why is it OK for him to speak about my child?"

But Jane was not alone. Seattle moms were the first to notice McClellan's Internet comments after seeing comments like this: "lots of frolicking LGs, including several rolling down a steep grassy hill on their side" he wrote about children in a public park.

The determined mothers pressured him out of the city.

"I think he needs to stop using children for his own selfish pleasures," said one mother.

Now dozens of Los Angeles mothers are teaming up to force him out.

"You should not be able to take a picture of a random child on the street and use it on the Internet to promote the abuse and endangerment of children," Jane said.

But law enforcement's hand may be tied.

"You can't arrest him for advocating," said UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh.

Legal experts said, and police so far have agreed, McClellan has broken no laws. He has no criminal record and his postings have been legal.

"[Sites like this are] repugnant as they are probably constitutionally protected by the First Amendment," Volokh said.

But frustrated mothers said McClellan is crossing the line and needs to be stopped now before it is too late.

"Why wait until he messes up," Jane said. "If someone is walking around talking about blowing something up and they are carrying around dynamite, why do you wait until they light the stick?"

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said there is one thing mothers can do to protect their children. They can file a child annoyance complaint. But, parents can only do that in certain circumstances. McClellan would have to be spotted following children or with a camera near a child. Even then the offense is a misdemeanor, so it's very unlikely to get him out of the playgrounds and away from children.