Florida: A Florida man who drove cross-country to meet Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson was ordered to stand trial on accusations of stalking her, but a judge dropped a charge of attempted kidnapping against the man.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Carter said prosecutors met the burden of proof for the stalking charge against Robert O`Ryan, who was arrested in March trying to get onto the set of ABC television`s "Dancing with the Stars" show where Johnson, 17, was performing.
Police say O`Ryan, 34, had zip ties, duct tape and two guns, but the judge said on Tuesday those items were left in his car when O`Ryan went in search of Johnson, and he threw out a charge of attempted kidnapping.
Carter`s ruling came after a detective testified that O`Ryan had said "voices in his head" told him to drive to Los Angeles to see Johnson, after becoming obsessed with her while watching her on TV from his trailer home in Florida.
O`Ryan, who is behind bars in lieu of $220,000 bail, could be sentenced to more than 5 years in prison if convicted at trial on charges of stalking, illegal gun possession and burglary.Johnson won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing for her balance beam routine. She went on to win "Dancing with the Stars" in May 2009.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 13:34
