03:58 PM EDT 11/04/2009
Crime & Courts
 |
Army Apologizes for Ryan Seacrest Stalker
Originally posted 11/03/2009 12:00PM
Ryan Seacrest may be back to tweeting about Rihanna songs and preparing for the next season of American Idol, but his bizarre stalker ordeal just took a new twist.
Reports reveal that Chidi Uzomah Jr., 25, who is in police custody under suspicion of stalking Seacrest, is a sergeant with the Army Reserves under the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion – a part of the Army's special forces.
Uzomah, who entered the E! offices on Friday armed with a knife to find Seacrest, served in the Army National Guard from 2005 to 2009 before being honorably discharged. Soon after, he transferred to the Army Reserve. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks told TMZ, "We apologize to Ryan Seacrest. Pending the outcome of the local investigation, the Army will decide what further action to take. We take all matters of our personnel seriously."
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Ryan Seacrest
 |
U.K. Police Release Updated Images of Madeleine McCann
Originally posted 11/03/2009 09:20AM
More than two years after then-3-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her parents' rented vacation bungalow in Portugal, police are releasing a new rendering of what the girl might look like now.
The video, released by the U.K. Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center, shows Madeleine as she might look at age 6, including a variant, with darker skin, that imagines she may have grown up in northern Africa. Madeleine's parents hope that someone seeing the new image will recognize Madeleine and give authorities information about her whereabouts.
"We need it to be spread far and wide, and for those people to be exposed to this message as many times as possible," Madeleine's father, Gerald McCann, said.
– Michael Y. Park
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Madeleine McCann
 |
Kate Winslet Wins $40,000 in Libel Suit
Originally posted 11/03/2009 08:15AM
Academy Award winner Kate Winslet said Tuesday she was "delighted" to win a payout of about $40,000 from a British newspaper that said she lied about her exercise regime.
"I strongly believe that women should be encouraged to accept themselves as they are, so to suggest that I was lying was an unacceptable accusation of hypocrisy," the 33-year-old mother of two said in a statement. In January, Winslet told reporters she was going "easy" on herself and not exercising at all during the hectic awards season.
She has frequently stated women should be proud to accept how they look, so when the Daily Mail ran the report, which her lawyers claimed was "misleading the public," she had to act.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Kate Winslet
 |
Paris Hilton Felt Violated by Burglary, Says Sister
Originally posted 11/01/2009 07:00AM
Even though many of her items were recently returned after her home had been burglarized last year, Paris Hilton feels "very, very violated" from the experience, says her younger sister.
"She was just happy to get some of it back," Nicky Hilton, 26, told PEOPLE Saturday while hosting a Halloween party at Las Vegas's Pure Nightclub.
Paris Hilton, 28, was a victim in a string of celebrity burglaries that also included Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox, Ashley Tisdale, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom and Audrina Patridge. Last week, a group of mostly teenage suspects was arrested in a sting operation, and police say more arrests are expected.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Paris Hilton
 |
Ryan Seacrest Fine After Stalker Incident
Originally posted 10/31/2009 03:00PM
Ryan Seacrest is "fine … happy"] according to his Twitter message after a restraining order went out Friday against a man arrested on suspicion of stalking the über-host.
Alleged stalker Chidi Uzomah, 25, remains in police custody on $150,000 bail under suspicion of felony stalking, say published reports. Uzomah already is on probation for another recent incident involving Seacrest, in which he reportedly attacked the star's security guard.
Armed with a folding knife, Uzomah allegedly entered the E! offices Friday in search of Seacrest, 34, who was not in the building at the time. Once apprehended by security, the suspect was arrested by LAPD.
A court hearing to determine whether to grant a three-year restraining order against Uzomah has been set for Nov. 17.
– Samantha McIntyre
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Ryan Seacrest
 |
Nicole Richie Gets Restraining Orders Against Two Paparazzi
Originally posted 10/30/2009 06:55PM
Two photographers have been temporarily ordered to stay 100 yards away from Nicole Richie, a Los Angeles judge ruled Friday. The order also protects her two children, Harlow, 21 months, and Sparrow, 6 weeks.
In her filing, Richie states that photographers Eduardo Arrivebene and Ivon Miguel daily "stalk" Richie and her family, and that they "sit outside my house, waiting for me to leave." She alleges that they "scream at me in an attempt to get my reaction, scare me, follow me, chase me in [their] vehicle," causing her "severe emotional distress."
Richie, 28, was rear-ended by the pair while driving in Beverly Hills earlier this month. She sought medical help following the incident. In her filing, she blames the photographers for causing the collision.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Nicole Richie
 |
Judge: Anna Nicole Smith Associates Will Face Trial
Originally posted 10/30/2009 05:15PM
Three people who allegedly furnished drugs to Anna Nicole Smith before she died will stand trial for a long list of felonies, a judge ruled Friday after a 2 ½-week evidentiary hearing.
Prosecutors say Smith's lawyer and boyfriend Howard K. Stern, 40, her psychiatrist and neighbor, Khristine Eroshevich, 61, and her physician, Sandeep Kapoor, 41, fed a steady stream of deadly drugs to the famous model, who died two years ago at age 39.
"I do find the proof is sufficient to bind them over for trial," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry ruled as he brought the trio's preliminary hearing to a close Friday.
Stern is charged with 11 felony counts, including prescribing a controlled substance to an addict;
obtaining a prescription by deceit; fraud and conspiracy. Eroshevich and Kapoor each face six felony counts.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Anna Nicole Smith
 |
INSIDE STORY: Sweat Lodge Guru Wrote of 'Impending Death'
Originally posted 10/29/2009 06:00PM
In the days and hours before he led 60 people into a sweltering sweat lodge ceremony that left three people dead and two dozen hospitalized, self-help guru James Arthur Ray had death on the mind.
"The Toltecs practice an 'awareness of impending death,' " Ray wrote on his Twitter page Friday, Oct. 2, as he prepared for the five-day Spiritual Warrior retreat in Sedona, which started later that weekend. "Makes every moment precious when you know it could be your last."
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts
 |
Megan Fox, Ashley Tisdale Also Victims of Burglary Gang
Originally posted 10/28/2009 03:35PM
The list of celebrity burglary victims continues to grow: Megan Fox, Brian Austin Green and Ashley Tisdale were also allegedly burglarized by a teenage crime ring, the LAPD announced Wednesday.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Ashley Tisdale, Megan Fox
 |
Judge Issues Stay in David Copperfield Sexual Assault Case
Originally posted 10/28/2009 11:50AM
David Copperfield has won a six-month stay in a lawsuit filed in July by a former Miss Washington USA contestant, alleging that the multi-millionaire magician assaulted and threatened her on his private island in the Bahamas – claims that the illusionist dismissed as an attempt at "extortion for money, plain and simple."
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour stayed the case at the request of Copperfield so the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle can complete a criminal investigation into the charge, reports the Seattle Times. The plaintiff's attorney, Becky Roe, has agreed to the stay, saying her client has already waited two years.
Permalink | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, David Copperfield
People Top 5
Top 10 News Categories
The most buzzed about stars this minute!
Treat Yourself! 4 Preview Issues
More On People.com
Got a News Tip?
Send it to our People.com editors!
News Archive
