A performer has withdrawn from next month's Robert Johnson Heritage and Blues Festival after an arrest, but his attorney says he is innocent of the charge against him.
Carl Barcelona, also known as Ian Osbourne, was arrested Thursday and accused of taking part in an online sexual conversation with someone posing as a 14-year-old boy. He was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.
Sylvester Hoover, an organizer of the festival, said this morning that Billy Soul Bound will replace Osbourne at the festival.
"It's unfortunate that this happened, but we don't want something like that in our show," Hoover said.
Steven Johnson, another organizer of the blues event, said Osbourne withdrew voluntarily because he didn't want the show to be tainted.
"We support Ian, and we believe in him," Johnson said. "But until everything is clear and everything has been cleared precisely, Ian Osbourne has been pulled from the show."
According to a news telecast by WBRZ in Baton Rouge, La., someone from the California group Perverted-Justice.com posed as an underage boy and communicated with Osbourne. The group told Baton Rouge police that Osbourne and the "boy" had discussed sex and that they agreed to meet at a Baton Rouge bus station.
Osbourne was arrested at the bus station by the Baton Rouge police and the FBI.
Carvel Sims, a Baton Rouge attorney representing Osbourne, described PervertedJustice.com as a "vigilante group" and "people trying to do police work who are not police."
Sims said his client didn't communicate with a minor. The adult chat room in question is operated by America Online, and that company would not have allowed a minor to access it, Sims said. "AOL is going to get 14-year-old children on this adult Web site? I don't think so - not knowingly," Sims said.
Sims said Osbourne was confident that the person he was meeting at the bus station was of legal age. The person had phoned Osbourne from the bus station beforehand to arrange the meeting, and they discussed some sexual topics, but Osbourne has said the caller didn't sound like a minor, Sims said.
Sims said the information about the accusation has been e-mailed to many people connected with the blues festival. However, he said, the owner of the address where the e-mail originated has denied sending it.
"Mr. Osbourne is not interested in trying to create a big fuss over this, but it seems very strange that everyone is getting phony e-mail from someone who is not them," Sims said.
Police have confiscated materials related to the event, as well as Osbourne's car and computer, the attorney said. "That's absurd," he said. "It's a little far-reaching."
