Thursday, March 26, 2009

Stalking Shawn

Forget the balance beam. Olympic gold metal-winning gymnast Shawn Johnson has something more important to worry about… her life. When the seventeen year old sweetheart joined the cast of Dancing with the Stars, she never expected the fearful experience that followed.

Thirty-four year old, Robert O’Ryan of Yullee, Fla., packed his belongings and made his way to California to see Johnson. He claims she had been communicating with him through his TV and with ESP. He believes they’re going to have a baby together and says he’ll be with her “no matter what”. Apparently, his delusional plan included jumping the fence at CBS Studios in L.A., where Dancing with the Stars is filmed. He was caught by security and later arrested upon the discovery of a loaded shotgun and loaded Colt .45 handgun. Johnson memorabilia and love letters to the gymnast were also amongst O’Ryan’s possessions.

A restraining order has been filed against O’Ryan mandating he must stay at least 100 yards from Johnson, her parents, and her Dancing partner, Mark Ballas. O’Ryan has been booked on suspicion of carrying a loaded gun in public and is being held in lieu of $35,000 bail.

Thankfully, this guy didn’t get anywhere near Shawn Johnson. I haven’t been watching Dancing with the Stars, but I would think she’d be able to relax a little more knowing O’Ryan’s in custody, at least for now. Have you been following the show?

11 comments:

  1. Haven't watched Dancing with the Stars either, but did hear about her stalker on the news this morning. He sounds like a true head case. I hope the restraining order is enough to keep him away.
    Helen
    http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com

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  2. I don't watch the show, but OH MY GOSH!
    How scary and what a perv! He does sound crazy. That poor girl.

    So, you're a stay at home mom to twins? Whew. That must be fun. LOL My kids are 4, 3, and nineteen months. It's crazy sometimes. LOL
    Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  3. How scary! I only hope and pray the restraining order is enough to keep her safe. She is my favorite of DWTS and hope she wins!

    Thanks for visiting my blog and hope you'll stop back again real soon!

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  4. She's one of my faves on DWTS and I heard that this morning. Thank God they got this freak before he could get to her. Poor thing, she must be frazzled!

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  5. Helen and Donna,

    Unfortunately, often restraining orders aren't enough.

    Jessica,

    Yeah, life's kinda busy, but yours must be, too.

    Sharla,

    Hopefully, he won't post bail any time soon.

    Lynnette Labelle

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  6. It's such a hugely popular show, but I haven't tuned in, only catching little pieces of it every now and then. Thanks for visiting my blog, enjoyed browsing here, hope the flood waters recede soon!

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  7. Thank goodness for security guards! Wow! I'm so glad nothing happened to her. So scary, and crazy. Jenni

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  8. Oh my gosh, that's incredibly scary! Glad they've taken care of it.

    I don't follow the show, but usually see the recaps while waiting for my new favorite show (Castle!) to start. :)

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  9. I don't watch the show but I did hear about this - scary! The problem with restraining orders is that they only work on people who care about the consequences of breaking them - crazy people usually won't care, if they even understand the consequences.

    Hopefully they can mandate a hospital stay... unfortunately, they changed the laws on that back in the 80's, giving the rights to the patient... so unless it's court mandated in leiu of jail time, it's really up to the person with the mental health issues on whether or not they stay in treatment. Oddly enough, the change in those laws coincides with a dramatic rise in homelessness - when do you think they'll catch the connection?

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  10. How terrible. As if life wasn't complicated enough, to have that horrible stress. I hope she gets a body gaurd and some peace of mind.

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  11. So sad. Poor girl. I don't watch the show, but that is awful!

    Saw your name on another blog and had to come by and visit another Lynnette who spells her name right! ;>)

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