Report: Woman arrested for stalking Lakers F Walton

Oct 8, 2008 - 5:54 AM LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- A woman was charged with a misdemeanor for stalking Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton, according to a published report Tuesday.

Citing Sergeant Steve Tobias of the Manhattan Beach Police Department, the Los Angeles Times reported that 34-year-old Stacy Elizabeth Beshear was arrested September 18, appeared in Torrance Superior Court four days later for arraignment and was released.

The newspaper said a trial date has been set for November 18, when Beshear could face up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine if convicted.

The Lakers did not return a call to PA SportsTicker seeking comment.

Walton told police last year that the woman had been harassing him in November and December, the report said.

"She had been following him to his practice site and following him home and repeatedly asking him to sign basketballs after he'd already done so," Tobias told the newspaper. "At one point, she got upset and was taking a Sharpie pen to his vehicle after he refused to sign a soccer ball."

Tobias said in the report that the Manhattan Beach police spoke with the woman, who temporarily stopped what she was doing until September 15, when the sergeant said she "crossed the line."

According to the newspaper, Beshear followed Walton to the house of Lakers teammate Jordan Farmar, pulled up next to him and flashed a menacing gesture.

"She was following him for a large part of the day and, at one point, drove side-by-side with him and gestured at him, extended her hand out the window and acted like she was cocking a gun," Tobias said to the newspaper.

That was the breaking point for Walton, who was spooked by the incident.

"When I kept seeing her around, I knew it was serious and I knew I had to do something," he told the Times. "That's when I contacted the police. I just can't believe how crazy all this stuff is."

Entering his sixth season, the 26-year-old Walton has averaged 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his career with the Lakers. He did not dress for Tuesday's preseason opener against the Utah Jazz while recovering from offseason ankle surgery.