Shane Sparks, best known for his work as a choreographer for Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance and a judge on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew, was arrested in Los Angeles Friday morning on charges of alleged child molestation. Sparks, whose real name is Melvin Hall, is being held on $590,000 bail. L.A.’s FOX 11 News reports that the criminal complaint against Sparks, filed yesterday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, includes 9 counts of molestation all focused on one alleged victim, a former dance student, dating back to the years 1994 to 1997.
Dec 18
2009
06:00 PM ET
'America's Best Dance Crew' judge arrested for alleged child molestation
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Why did this take 15 years? Could it be it’s because nobody knew him til now?
Why did it take so long for the truth to come out with those Catholic priests?
Whoa! Why do you have to mention that? What do Catholic priests have to do with Shane Sparks.
they like to molest children?
It has to do with the fact that the stories were repressed for so long…
why should it matter how long it takes a victim to come forward? whoever it was did it when they were ready, who are you to give judgement on that?
and, he’s been a public figure for what…5 years now (ever since SYTYCD came out). so saying that this potential victim waited until he was well known is a weak argument. A person out for only money would have been more like to bring this up as soon as they saw his face on tv. Again, it’s been about 5 years past that now.
Ask the Duke rugby team. Women do lie about being raped.
Oh, sorry it was lacrosse.
Did the author even say it was a female child?
How many people have been released from prison because they convicted the wrong person? It used to be innocent until proven guilty now the media decides before you even set one foot in court.
whoah. thats crazy.
Wow! Shane Sparks. Child molestation. That just can’t be true???
Seriously, if you put your kids in any kind of class like dance or gymnastics, stick to female instructors.
Why?? This is the first I’ve heard of that.. tell us more.
You have no idea how common this kind of thing is, actually. I think that protecting a child from a potential sex offender doesn’t qualify as a plastic bubble, thanks.
who said anything about a plastic bubble?
oh nevermind, the guy below you did. But Sara certainly didn’t.
I think I’d be a little more concerned for a child who had you for a parent than for a child who had a male dance instructor. Educate and empower your children rather than keeping them in a plastic bubble.
There are some things that are difficult to educate your child about. In the case of one gymnastics coach, he used a camera to film certain areas while they were practicing. Nothing fishy seemed to be going on, so I doubt you can educate your child to just know when a man is trying to take advantage. So, please reserve your judgment for a person who has ill intentions rather than accusing me of being a bad parent without knowing me at all.
I’m not questioning your intentions, I’m questioning the logic of a person who is suggesting that all male instructors are a danger. Should you keep your children away from minorities because statistically a higher percentage of criminals are of non-caucasian ethnicity? Or not let your child on a bus with a female driver because statistically women have a higher rate of accident when operating oversized vehicles? I understand you want to take precautions, but the mentors who have inspired me most in my life happen to be men, and what a shame it would be if my parents had shielded me from them unnecessarily.
My best dance instructor was a male. All the female instructors wanted me to be anorexic. Male teacher asked why I wasn’t taking a partnering class. Because 105lbs. was “too heavy” according to all my female teachers. Male teacher said: “If you’re too heavy, we need stronger men. I expect to see you there.” It was teh most empowering thing anyone had ever told me.
Best to educate your children to what abuse is. Physical, sexual and mental. I was totally mentally abused by female teachers.
Because duh females don’t molest children.
IE: Mary Kay Latourno
I think the person was actually trying to imply that you were a narrow minded bigot as opposed to a “bad parent”
That too.
somethings fishy if its 15 years later…
Jenn, most victims of sexual abuse NEVER report it. That’s unfortunate but not fishy.
A lot of children don’t understand what’s happening to them or are too embarrassed to tell someone, until they reach adulthood and realize the full extent of what happened to them as a child.
and if the victim was after money, they probably would have dealt with it privately rather than have him arrested.
Second time a SYTYCD choreographer has been charged with this count (but his was later dropped). Wow…really sad and sick if this is true. But odd that it has taken so long; as someone else mentioned,he wasn’t well-known back then. Makes me wonder.
How sad! Curious to know how old the victim was. I always thought Sparks seemed so sweet and genuine. I hope it is not true.
Based on the charges (which I read on another site) there was at least a 10-year difference between Shane and the alleged victim.
oh, yes, because sweet people just *can’t* be child molesters…
Please don’t put words in my mouth. I said he seemed sweet and I hoped it wasn’t true, one thing having nothing to do with the other. I realize that sweet people are just as likely as jerks to molest children.
Uh, have you seen how many FEMALE teachers being arrested lately? Except when they rape boys, Its all Fun and Games!!
Yeah, that’s why they’re arrested. Fun and games.
Shane is innocent until proven guilty.
An arrest is not a conviction.
An allegation is not a conviction.
We will see what the outcome of this trial is and then and only then can we accurately comment.
It takes a lot of strength for a person to admit they were sexually abused and a lot more to go to the cops. Is money awarded in the these type of cases if the person is found guilty or does the perp just go to jail? If the alleged victim just wants to see him in jail then you know its for real.
Based on the years it happened, there is a good chance it would actually be an instance of statutory rape since he was only 20 in 1994.
And on another site it reported that the person who was molested was a teenager.
Thanks, Vikki. I was curious because, even though it still isn’t necessarily okay, it’s a whole different ball of wax if the victim is in their mid-to-late teens and the accused is late teens to early twenties.
Especially if it was “consentual”(sp)
The charges indicate that Shane “was at least 10 years older than [the victim].” This is NOT a statutory rape case.
Dana, other sites report the victim was a teenager and since Shane Sparks was 20 in 1994….
I can’t stand him on America’s Best Dance Crew. He only cares about the B-boy crews. He’s so biased. And his choreography on SYTYCD really pales in comparison to some of the the other choreographers.
Yeah b-boys and skankily dressed girls. I can’t stand him either, would NOT be surprised if it’s true
Whoaa! First Alex da Silva, now Shane Sparks? What is up with these (former) SYTYCD choreographers/judges?
I don’t wanna believe this. There’s a lot of touching and close contact in dance. Maybe the kid misinterpreted. I hope that’s the case.