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Hollywood Hills News

Halle Berry's Alleged Stalker Held On Charges
Posted by Tommy Garrett on Jul 13, 2011 - 11:59:09 PM

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Wednesday, July 13, 27-year-old Richard Anthony Franco, a convicted felon, was arraigned on charges for allegedly stalking Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry and trespassing on the star’s Hollywood Hills estate.

Franco is being held on a $150,000 bond, and he is being charged with one felony count of stalking. He allegedly showed up at Berry's mansion on Saturday, Sunday and then again on Monday. In what is considered to be an almost Alfred Hitchcock-like tale, Berry reportedly was standing just one foot away from him in her kitchen in one instance, and she then ran through her house slamming doors behind her, then going upstairs and calling 9-1-1. Berry’s daughter was also in the home during the alleged incidents.

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Halle Berry Photo courtesy of Facebook

On Monday, Berry’s security team, which included off-duty L.A. police officers, found the man on her property for the third time and took him into custody and arrested him at 11:15 p.m. Franco, who has a history of burglary convictions, was apparently seen by some of Berry’s neighbors. One neighbor even reported to authorities a possible burglary on Monday evening as well. Franco was already on probation during the time of his arrest for pleading no contest in June to a misdemeanor battery charge. If convicted, Franco faces up to three years in prison.

On Wednesday, the actress filed a temporary restraining order detailing three incidents involving the alleged stalker trespassing on her property over the last few days. Berry stated to the court, “This person has invaded and trampled upon the most fundamental sense of security I have. I am extremely frightened. He has terrorized me and my family.”

Berry’s alleged stalker has been accused of being seen in her kitchen and outside her window, with Berry’s manager also witnessing one such alleged incident. Franco has also been alleged to have been seen on video surveillance footage in her backyard carrying something in his hand and approaching the house. In a legal filing on Wednesday asking for a temporary restraining order, it was stated that Berry screamed “there is a guy in my yard” during the alleged incident when Franco was apparently seen in the actress’s Hollywood Hills property.

Berry's manager also alleges that when he stepped outside and confronted the man, Franco reportedly began asking for someone named Santiago. Berry said she did not know anyone by that name. The actress’s manager stated to Franco, “If I had a gun, I would shoot you.” Berry and her manager then watched security surveillance, from which they report seeing the man scale a fence around the property and then walk away.

Berry’s harrowing experience is chronicled in her filing, stating that at one point on Sunday when she walked into her kitchen, she sensed someone behind her and when she turned around the man was standing less than a foot from her, staring at her through a glass door. “Panicking and in fear of my life, I turned my body and quickly hit the deadbolt lock on the glass door,” she stated in her civil filing. “I grabbed my phone and ran as fast as I could upstairs, slamming each door behind me as I ran. I got upstairs to a safe place, locked myself inside and dialed 911.”

Less than 10 minutes later, LAPD officers appeared, though the intruder was not seen on her property. Later, her security team viewed the footage of a man seen hiding in the bushes as she entered the garage.

Berry has now hired a team of 24-hour armed security officers to protect herself and her 3-year-old daughter. During the Monday night incident, security guards radioed Berry, who was in the home with her daughter, to “get to safety as quickly as possible.” Franco allegedly had a book with him at the time of his arrest with incoherent writings as well as Halle Berry’s name written in his own handwriting.

Berry had no comment as of press time.



 

 

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