Police responded to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home in Montecito, California after a man showed up to the property uninvited. At this time, details of the incident remain unclear, but a representative for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to TMZ that 29-year-old Kevin Garcia Valdovinos was arrested for stalking.
Police were called to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s home, which they share with son Prince Arhcie of Sussex, 4, and daughter Princess Lilibet of Sussex, 1, at around 2 a.m. local time Monday morning. It is unclear if the Sussexes were home at the time of the incident. Security staffers at the home made the call after Valdovinos showed up at the property. It is unclear what exactly happened next, but security placed the 29-year-old under citizen’s arrest. When officers arrived at the scene, Valdovinos was taken into police custody and booked him for misdemeanor stalking. He was later released on $2,500 bail.
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Per TMZ, the specific charge Valdovinos was booked on indicates this is something he has done before. However, there is no further information available regarding any past offenses. The outlet also reported that Valdovinos “told security something that triggered this arrest, though the sheriff is not saying what that was.” Prosecutors will now decide the next steps. Representatives for Harry and Meghan have not addressed the incident at this time, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t offered further information.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time the Sussexes have had an uninvited visitor at their Montecito home. Back on Christmas Eve 2020, a man named Nickolas Brooks drove all the way from Ohio to Montecito. Brooks was initially let go with just a warning, though he was later arrested after he again trespassed onto the property just days later on December 26, 2020. Brooks was charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing.
The most recent incident occurred just shortly after Harry returned home from London, where he traveled earlier this month to attend the coronation of his father, King Charles III. Harry was only present for a short period of time, however, as he immediately returned home to celebrate his son’s birthday, which fell on the same day as the coronation ceremony. Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan stepped out in New York City Tuesday evening accompanied by the duchess’ mother, Doria Ragland, as Meghan accepted this year’s Woman of Vision Award honorees for her global advocacy to empower women and girls at the Ms. Foundation 2023 Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power.
