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"Kevin Clash, voice actor and puppeteer of Sesame Street&amp;#039;s Elmo for the past 28 years, is taking time off from the iconic children&amp;#039;s show amid allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy seven years ago. The accuser, now 23, contacted Sesame Workshop, the producers of Sesame Street, back in June with the claims. Sesame Workshop released a statement on Monday promising a thorough, immediate investigation. After interviewing Clash as well as the accuser, the producers found the allegations to be &amp;quot;unsubstantiated.&amp;quot; Although they didn&amp;#039;t find proof to sustain the accuser&amp;#039;s claims, Clash has been apprehended for violating company policy regarding inappropriate Internet usage, since Clash emailed the accuser using his Sesame Street email account. In one of the emails, which was released today, Clash wrote, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m sorry that I keep talking about sex with you, it&amp;#039;s driving me insane...I want you to know that I love you and I will never hurt you.&amp;quot; According to reports, the accuser was of legal age when this email was sent. Clash confirms having a relationship with the accuser, but he insists it was consensual and occurred when the boy was of legal age. In his statement, he also expressed sadness over the false characterization the accuser gave their relationship. Although no charges have yet to be brought against Clash, the accuser has hired Andreozzi and Associates as his legal team. The well-known law firm gained national attention after representing one of the victims who accused Jerry Sandusky of sexual abuse. The duration of Clash&amp;#039;s leave of absence is unknown, but Sesame Workshop reassures fans of the show that Elmo will continue to appear on Sesame Street. No word on who will be replacing Clash as the voice of the famous Muppet. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/entertainment/news/a46673/the-voice-of-elmo-kevin-clash-accused-of-having-an-affair-with-a-minor/>