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After three consecutive incidents of creepy behavior, Halle Berry's stalker could end up behind bars. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office charged Richard Franco, 27, with burglary, on top of a previous charge of felony stalking.
Berry, who now has a restraining order against Franco, first encountered him peering into her kitchen window on Saturday, July 9. Understandably freaked out, she called the police, but the intruder ran away before they could catch him. The same exact thing happened on July 10. But on the night of July 11, Berry, 44, was prepared: Her security team caught Franco attempting to scale the back wall of her property, and promptly turned him over to Los Angeles police.
As it turns out, Franco has a criminal history of robbery and drug offenses, and recently served jail time for battery. When Berry filed for the restraining order on July 12, the 44-year-old actress expressed her fear that Franco might do harm to her or her 3-year-old daughter Nahla.
"This person has jeopardized not only my personal safety, but also the safety and well-being of my family," Berry stated. "This person has invaded and trampled upon the most fundamental sense of security I have, and I am extremely frightened of him and what he might do to me or those I love."
Franco has pleaded not guilty to charges of stalking. However, the burglary charge (he allegedly tried to break into Berry's guest house) builds up the case against him, carrying a possible six-year prison term. A preliminary hearing is set for August 4 -- and, from what we know of Halle, she won't back down until this guy gets what he deserves.
