Michael McClure was charged with invasion of privacy, child abuse and harassment stemming from a May 9 incident in a dance studio in Hamilton Township, N.J.

Michael McClure was charged with invasion of privacy, child abuse and harassment stemming from a May 9 incident in a dance studio in Hamilton Township, N.J., according to an Associated Press story.

McClure made plans to share his knowledge of film, theater and dance with Frederick at the Cultural Arts Center at 15 W. Patrick St. during a series of classes sponsored by the Frederick Arts Council.

After learning about the charges against McClure, Shaun Butcher, executive director of the council, said he was inclined to cancel the event because it might detract from providing positive arts to the community.

Events were scheduled to kick off Friday night with a forum led by McClure, including a question-and-answer session. He was going to teach several musical theater dance classes Saturday.

McClure was a teacher at a studio in New Jersey when, on May 9, 2006, a 16-year-old student noticed she was being filmed while undressing in a small room. McClure was arrested after police searched the studio and found about 100 more videotapes.

McClure said Wednesday he was cleared of the charges in September 2006 and his record remains clear. The accusations were blown out of proportion by the media, he said. He praised the Frederick Arts Council and said the cancellation is unfortunate.

"It's a horrible thing that happened," McClure said of the accusations. "I wasn't even indicted. They found no evidence of the crime. Everything has been dismissed."

Casey DeBlasio is a spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutors Office in New Jersey. She said Wednesday that McClure, who pleaded not guilty in the case, entered the state's Pretrial Intervention Program, a diversionary program much like probation, in January.

The PTI program includes random urine testing, community service or psychological evaluations. Adults who are first-time offenders accused of nonviolent crimes are accepted into the program, usually for one to three years, DeBlasio said.

McClure is enrolled in the program for three years, she said. One condition of his agreement is that he will not make contact with the victim or any children under age 18 without supervision.

The program's restrictions are limited to New Jersey, she said.

If McClure breaches the contract or is unable to finish the program, he could face harsher penalties, DeBlasio said.

"If he completes the program, the original charges will be dismissed -- he's free to come and go as he pleases," she said. "They liken it to a one-time, get-out-of-jail-free card."

Some things should be taken with a grain of salt, Butcher said when he learned of the accusations against McClure.

"I was not aware of that," he said Wednesday when told about the charges by a Frederick News-Post reporter.

Butcher said they met when McClure taught sessions at the Holiday Inn on Spectrum Drive less than a year ago. People were pleased with that weekend, Butcher said. When McClure contacted him about more classes in Frederick, Butcher never thought to do a background check.

"He had asked us to help promote some of the activities," Butcher said.

According to a press release for the canceled events, McClure, an actor as well as a dancer, made appearances on television shows including "General Hospital," "The King of Queens," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "The Young and the Restless," "Passions," "Quantum Leap," "VIP" and "Action," and films including "Quest for Camelot" and "The Brady Bunch Movie."

Before he decided to cancel the sessions, Butcher explained why he had been happy to schedule McClure's appearance.

"It's a great introduction to the arts as a profession," Butcher said. "You can follow your passion in the arts as a profession and not necessarily be a celebrity. That's the general notion of the weekend."