Safety coordinator says visitors not blocked from leaving Neverland ranch

[b]Safety coordinator says visitors not blocked from leaving Neverland ranch[/b] By Quintin Cushner/Staff Writer The safety coordinator at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch testified this morning that there are no barriers preventing visitors from leaving the property. Violet Silva, an employee at Jackson’s ranch near Los Olivos since 1991, testified that a vehicle gate on the property can be opened by something as light as a golf cart and that one can easily exit the property on foot. The woman also testified in Superior Court in Santa Maria that the confidentiality agreement all visitors to Neverland must sign were necessary to ensure that people wouldn’t sell their stories to the media. “The purpose is to keep you from profiting from your experience there,” Silva said. The line of questioning by defense attorney Robert Sanger was intended to show that confidentiality agreements weren’t designed to mask criminal activity at the ranch.. Also this morning, Francine Contreras, an employee from 1991 to 1993, said she saw items that belong to Jackson at the home of housekeeper Adrian McManus. McManus said she had them at her home for ironing, which Contreras said didn’t explain why she had a hat. “You can’t iron a hat,” the woman said. The woman later admitted she had been charged with trespassing at a local Mervyn’s store. … Source: http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2005/05/09/news/local/news00.txt