CELEBRITY NEWS UPDATE: Shanna Moakler and the Child Molester

You remember Miss December 2001, Shanna Moakler. As an official of the Miss California USA pageant, Miss December decided that Carrie Prejean was unqualified to wear the crown.

You may also remember that Miss December once starred in a short-lived MTV reality show with her husband, rock musician Travis Barker, from whom she subsequently divorced.

Now, for today's celebrity news update, I owe a hat-tip to someone in the comments who asked me to link this TMZ story:

According to the Barrington [R.I.] Police, the drama began when Travis went to Shanna's Rhode Island home to drop off their two kids. When Travis noticed a car belonging to a convicted child molester near the home, he got into an argument with Shanna -- and she called the cops.
When police arrived, Travis told police he didn't "want to leave the kids in the residence with a pedophile and wanted a certified nanny with the kids."
Cops read the court order explaining the custody agreement between the couple, which stated that the man who owned the car was not allowed near the kids. . . .
Shanna's rep just told us: "It is really sad at this point that Shanna can't enjoy her children with her family in peace. Why would police let the kids stay if this apparent 'uncle' was actually there. Shanna and Travis need to work this out without the media being involved. There are young children involved and it's just not fair."

Note that, according to Miss December's publicist, the media pose a greater threat to the children than does a convicted child molester with whom, evidently, Miss December continues to associate.

Travis Barker deserves our sympathy, as it seems he has belatedly discovered the truth of a venerable proverb well-known in my native culture:

Lie down with trailer trash, wake up with herpes, child-support payments and a restraining order.

Genuine hillbilly wisdom, of the sort that inspired my online memoir, All Girls Named Tonya.