A man who had been ordered by a Los Angeles judge to keep his distance from Mel Gibson made a court appearance Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to felony stalking charges, which were filed after he allegedly defied a restraining order to stay away from the actor-filmmaker.
Zack Sinclair, 34, sporting a Hawaiian shirt and a stubbly beard in the courtroom, was arrested last Thursday, a day after the judge ordered him to stay away from the actor and his family. Sinclair initially was arrested on Sept. 20 after he allegedly paid two visits to the gate of Gibson's estate and asked to pray with the actor.
Sinclair, who has been described as a drifter, also is said to have sent Gibson letters, prompting the star to take out a restraining order earlier this month. The order barred Sinclair from approaching or contacting Gibson.
Following his second arrest, the original misdemeanor charges were dropped and replaced with a single, more serious, felony charge of stalking, according to published reports.
Sinclair's attorney, Gayle Perlo, tells TV's Celebrity Justice that she and her husband are longtime friends of Sinclair's family. She described Sinclair – who, for now, is back behind bars on $500,000 bail – as, "Just a real nice guy and a very bright person."
Sinclair is due back in court Oct. 29 so a preliminary hearing can be scheduled. If convicted, he could face up to three years in state prison.
Meanwhile, Gibson, 48, has donated $10 million to two Los Angeles hospitals: the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Associated Press reports. The gift is to be used for medical care to seriously ill children from countries where they cannot receive treatment at home, because of either a lack of availability or financial conditions.
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