According to reports, an alleged stalker has been arrested lurking in front of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s mansion in Montecito in the middle of the night.
It is understood that a member of the security team at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s $14 million California home placed the man under civilian arrest before alerting local police.
A spokesman for the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office said TMZ that they had received a call from security personnel around 2 a.m. Monday morning.
The tabloid said 29-year-old Kevin Garcia Valdovinos was placed under civilian arrest at the entrance to the couple’s property, citing the Santa Barbara Police Department.
When police officers arrived, the man was taken into custody and booked for stalking, before later being released on $2,500 bail.
The tabloid said 29-year-old Kevin Garcia Valdovinos was placed under civilian arrest at the entrance to the couple’s property, citing the Santa Barbara Police Department. Pictured: Harry and Meghan attend last night’s Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in NYC
According to reports, an alleged stalker has been arrested lurking outside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s mansion in Montecito in the middle of the night (pictured)
Under the law under which Valdovinos was arrested, this was not the first time he had committed a similar offense.
TMZ reported that he never made it to the property and that it was something he told security that led them to put him under civilian arrest.
It was not clear whether Harry and Meghan – or their two children Archie, 4, or Lilibet, 1 – had arrived at the time of the arrest.
The couple were in New York City last night to attend the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards, where Meghan received the 2023 award “for her global advocacy to empower and advocate for women and girls.”
The couple and their then-year-old son Archie moved to the exclusive Montecito neighborhood in 2020.
They bought the lavish 18,000-square-foot home, which sits on 5.4 acres of land, for $14.5 million (£11 million).
A year later, the PA news agency revealed, in July 2021, that police had been called to the mansion nine times in as many months.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office even responded twice during Christmas to pick up a trespasser who had traveled to the Sussexes’ home from Ohio.
The property’s alarm system had also gone off five times during that time.
The data, obtained under freedom of information laws, was released after the pair shared their safety fears in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Meghan Markle looked stunning in a strapless gold dress as she arrived at a glittering gala in New York – where she accepted a ‘Women of Vision’ award from her friend Gloria Steinem. A ‘stalker’ was reportedly arrested at her home in California the day before
Nickolas Brooks was the guy who drove all the way from Ohio. He was caught trespassing on Christmas Eve 2020. Two days later, on December 26, 2020, he returned again and was arrested by the police for trespassing.
Brooks was first released with a warning, but he reappeared at the house on Boxing Day at 2:54 p.m. and was subsequently arrested and charged with a felony misdemeanor charge.
Brooks then said he may have been “high” when he broke into the house. It was later revealed that he had previously been convicted of taking part in an assault in which a man suffered a broken bone in his face.
He said, ‘I don’t know why I went to their house, that’s kind of where I ended up. I drove across the country – I know it’s crazy.
“I’ve been told to stay out and never go there again, but I don’t have to appear in court. I spent one night in jail and they told me to stay away in the future.”
News of Brooks’ breaches came just a week after Harry expressed concern for his family’s safety. The prince opened up about his fears during the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7, 2021.
Harry revealed how Buckingham Palace withdrew their security detail when they stepped down as senior royals and moved to North America.
He said he and Meghan signed their lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify because they needed money to cover their own security after being “financially cut off” by the Palace after leaving the UK.
“I have what my mother left me, and we couldn’t have done this without it,” he told Oprah at the time.
Nickolas Brooks (pictured) was the guy who drove all the way from Ohio. He was caught trespassing on Christmas Eve 2020. Two days later, on December 26, 2020, he returned again and was arrested by the police for trespassing.
During COVID, a friend’s suggestion was, “What about streamers?” Harry said, while Meghan added, “We really hadn’t thought about it before.”
“We hadn’t thought about it,” Harry continued. So there were all sorts of different options. And look, from my perspective, all I needed was enough money to pay for security to keep my family safe.”
The deals with Netflix and Spotify are said to be worth $100 million and $25 million respectively, while Harry has since published a memoir titled “Spare,” which became — according to Guinness World Records — “the fastest-selling non-fiction book of them all.” . time’ on the date of release.
It is widely reported that Harry received $20 million for the book deal.