Hmmmmm…
What do we have here?
It seems that the young man that accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him while he was a minor, has a few secrets of his own.
Since the scandal broke, Clash, 52, has taken a leave of absence from the Sesame Workshop which produces the popular children’s TV show on PBS
Recently TMZ reported that Kevin Clash was being accused of sex with a then 16 year-old male model. Charges of which he adamantly denied.
The young man claimed that the relationship began 7 years before when he was just 16 years-old.
The model also claimed that he was promised gifts and opportunities for keeping the relationship a secret.
But after just a few days, this model has now recanted his claims.
The man has been identified as a 24-year-old wannabe model that was once arrested for allegedly robbing someone at knifepoint.
The accuser, Sheldon Stephens, of Pennsylvania, was named by The Smoking Gun website on Wednesday. The website said it learned the identity of Stephens from a family member and friend who were not named.
Named: Sheldon Stephens, 24 of Pennsylvania, has been identified as the man who accused Elmo Muppeteer Kevin Clash of engaging in sex when he was underage
Stephens describes himself as an ‘entrepreneur, student, model [and] actor’ on his Twitter account. On his Facebook page, he writes, ‘I like to consider myself a rare breed. I’m very spontaneous and random… I’m determined and goal oriented. My destiny is laid on a solid gold brick pathway… MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT and never will it dim.’
Court records show that Stephens has been arrested several times since 2009 on charges that include writing a bad check and reckless driving.
His most serious charges were in September of 2009, when he was arrested at an airport in Pennsylvania after stepping off a flight from Los Angeles.He was charged in that arrest with robbing his former employer, Darian Pollard, at knifepoint.
Pollard accused Stephens of stealing a $250,000 ‘white gold necklace with diamonds’ and a ‘white gold ring with diamond baguettes’ and then boarding a flight to Pennsylvania, according to a criminal complaint.
Stephens was wearing the jewelry when police arrested him and he insisted that the pieces were gifts. Charges filed against him in Pennsylvania were later dropped, however, and charges were never filed in California, The Smoking Gun reported.
After Stephens withdrew his allegations, Clash told the New York Times through a spokesman: ‘I am relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest. I will not discuss it further.’
Clash exchanged messages with his accuser in 2010 in which he apologized for constantly talking about sex and promised to make all of his ‘dreams come true.’
The puppeteer, who has left the show in the wake of the accusations, told the man almost 30 years his junior that he loved him and offered to buy him a ticket to visit him in New York, it has emerged.
The Sesame Street stalwart, who has worked on the show since the mid-80s, admits to having a sexual relationship with the accuser but insists it only took place after the younger man was an adult.
Clash, 52, took a leave of absence from the children’s show after the 23-year-old contacted the program’s lawyers and told them he had a sexual relationship with the puppeteer seven years ago.