MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- A homeless man obsessed with tennis star Anna
Kournikova swam naked across Biscayne Bay in search of her home and got
caught lounging in the buff at her neighbor's pool, police said.
Police said William Lepeska screamed, "Anna! Save me!" as he was
arrested Jan. 30 from the house three doors down from Kournikova's $5
million home. He faced a court appearance Friday.
Lepeska, 40, who has an "Anna" tattoo on his arm, was charged with
stalking and burglary, as well as exposing himself in the presence of a
child, after the neighbor's 3-year-old daughter saw him lying naked on a
lawn chair by the pool.
Lepeska allegedly told police that he was in love with the tennis star
and desperate to meet her.
Angela Robertson, a Miami-Dade public defender representing Lepeska, did
not immediately return a phone message Tuesday.
William Lepeska thought he entered Anna Kournikova's house, but it wasn't.
(AP)
Ivy Mollenkamp, the tennis player's publicist, said in a statement that
the arrest "has caused Anna to be very concerned and fearful for her
safety."
Police said Lepeska told them he spent months searching for Kournikova's
address on the Internet. He sent her numerous letters and e-mails, and
told police he believed Kournikova had left a door unlocked and laid out
clothing for him.
Miami-Dade County Court Judge Gerald Klein issued a restraining order
against Lepeska on Friday. Lepeska is currently being held in the county
jail on a $26,000 bail.
Kournikova's attorneys, Dan Gelber and Steve Chaykin, did not
immediately return phone messages Tuesday.
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