Man Pleads Not Guilty to Stalking Halle Berry

A “frightened” Halle Berry has a small reprieve, in the form of a restraining order.

Though she previously had an order that would keep 27-year-old Richard A. Franco 100 feet away, at an arraignment, he was ordered to stay 500 yards away if he is released from jail.

Franco pled no guilty to stalking charges, according to the Associated Press.

Berry did not attend the hearing, but has come face-to-face at least twice since Saturday, when he first breached security at her Hollywood Hills home.

A prosecutor and Deputy Public Defender Ken Star said Berry identified Franco after his arrest Monday night.

Star read from a police report that stated Berry "appeared very shaken and showed signs of stress" when police asked her to identify Franco, but he conceded his client admitted to being at her home.
"She's in extreme fear of this defendant," Deputy District Attorney Wendy Segall said during the arraignment.

Berry obtained a civil restraining order requiring Franco to stay 100 yards away from her and her 3-year-old daughter on Tuesday. She wrote that Franco almost followed her into her kitchen on Sunday afternoon. She said she was able to lock the door and call police before he entered her house.

Kalra's order will expire in three years or once the case against Franco has concluded.

Franco will return to court on July 27 for a preliminary hearing where some of the evidence against him will be presented. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted. He remains jailed with bail set at $150,000.

Selected Reading: AP, Access Hollywood
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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