Chad Michael Busto: ‘Stalker’ who barged into dressing room and yelled ‘I want to marry Emma Watson’ arrested
A man accused of repeatedly stalking celebrities has been arrested for barging into a dressing room at a New York City fashion show and screaming that he wanted to marry Emma Watson, police say.
Chad Michael Busto, who was arrested last month after attempts to approach Drew Barrymore, pleaded not guilty to criminal trespass and disorderly conduct charges in the incident, which took place last week at the Ralph Lauren show at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The 43-year-old was released without bail. He will next appear in court on 2 October.
According to prosecutors, Busto entered the fashion show dressing room last Friday night and screamed: “I want to marry Emma Watson. Let me speak to Emma Watson. Let me take a photo with Emma Watson.”
Busto, who did not have permission to be at the fashion show, became irate when he was asked to leave and refused to do so, according to authorities.
It isn’t clear if Watson – best known for playing Hermione Granger in Harry Potter – was at the fashion show. Other stars to have attended that day include Jennifer Lopez, Julianne Moore and James Marsden.
Last month, Busto was arrested in Southampton Town on Long Island after police received reports he was riding his bicycle up and down private driveways, searching for Barrymore.
Days before, he had interrupted an on-stage interview in Manhattan where Barrymore was interviewing singer and actor Renee Rapp.
Busto had approached the stage shouting: “Drew Barrymore! “My name is Chad Michael Busto. You know who I am. I need to see you at some point while you’re in New York, okay?”
Barrymore went on to leave the stage safely with Rapp, while security guards escorted Busto out of the theatre.
Last week, after Busto failed to show up to be fitted for a court-ordered GPS tag, a Southampton judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
Busto, who’s been linked to addresses of shelters and church ministries in California and Washington DC, has a history of arrests and unusual behaviour. His record includes prior arrests for trespassing, disorderly conduct and indecent exposure.
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In a handwritten lawsuit last year, Busto claimed he’d been granted ownership of the Hilton hotels chain. That case was swiftly dismissed.
Other lawsuits under Busto’s name include one seeking to challenge the prison sentences of all criminal defendants in “all prisons on Planet Earth”.
In a 2021 court filing, Busto wrote that he was “Born by Force” and that his parents are “More Guilty for My Entire Existence as Two Humans Than the One (Sort of) Human I am Generally Considered to Be!”
Another Busto court filing consisted mostly of Pokemon cards.
World
Viktor Sokolov: Top Russian admiral appears in video call – after Ukraine claimed he was killed in missile strike
A top Russian admiral has appeared in a video call – a day after Ukrainian special forces claimed he had been killed in a missile strike.
Admiral Viktor Sokolov – the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and one of Russia’s most senior naval officers – was reportedly killed in last week’s strike on the naval port of Sevastopol, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond when asked by news agencies to confirm or deny if Mr Sokolov had been killed.
However, the ministry released a video on Tuesday appearing to show Mr Sokolov attending a conference with other top Russian military officials via video link.
Mr Sokolov was not seen speaking in the footage of the conference – led by Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
It is not clear when the footage was filmed, though Russia’s defence ministry claimed the meeting took place on Tuesday.
Ukraine war latest: Russia attacks area bordering NATO
Mr Sokolov (pictured left) appeared at a military conference via video link – though it is not clear when the footage was taken
Ukraine special forces said on Telegram: “Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish a response with Sokolov allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information.”
In the video, Mr Shoigu said more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September and that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed.
Both Russia and Ukraine have at times exaggerated enemy losses in the war, while also saying little about their own losses.
On Monday, Ukraine’s special forces claimed they had killed Mr Sokolov and 33 other officers in last week’s missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.
“After the strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers died, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” Ukraine’s special forces said on the Telegram messaging app.
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“Another 105 occupiers were wounded. The headquarters building cannot be restored.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Ukraine’s claim that it had killed Mr Sokolov, instead referring reporters to the defence ministry.
A screengrab from social media shows smoke billowing from the top of a building, alleged to be the Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, following a missile attack in Sevastopol
Video appeared to show the strike on the Black Sea headquarters in Sevastopol
In a statement after the attack, the Russian defence ministry said one serviceman was missing, revising an earlier statement that the man had been killed.
Moscow-installed authorities in Sevastopol also said they were taking extra measures to address Ukraine’s increased attacks on Crimea.
The attack came after an earlier strike on Sevastopol, in which a Russian submarine and warship were damaged.
A Ukrainian and a Western source said that British Storm Shadow cruise missiles were deployed in the attack on the port of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has lost his appeal against a 19-year sentence added to his existing jail term.
It was imposed in August after he was convicted on six charges related to alleged extremist activity – which he denied.
The appeal was rejected by a judge in Moscow, with Mr Navalny – wearing a black prison uniform – joining by video link from prison.
Media were not allowed to witness proceedings apart from the reading of the verdict.
The 19-year sentence was imposed on top of 11 and a half years that he was already serving after being convicted of fraud and other charges.
Mr Navalny has said all the charges are politically motivated and an attempt to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin‘s repressive regime and the war in Ukraine.
His political movement has been outlawed and declared “extremist”, with its main players either being jailed or fleeing Russia.
President Putin makes a point of never referring to Mr Navalny by name as part of an attempt by authorities to portray him as irrelevant.
Mr Navalny pictured on a video feed at his sentencing in August
The 47-year-old politician returned to the country voluntarily in 2021 after nearly dying when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in a suspected Russian plot.
He was immediately arrested when he landed and is imprisoned in Melekhovo, about 145 miles (235 km) east of Moscow.
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Mr Navalny said in the summer that he had been forced to listen to the same speech by President Putin for more than 100 days in a row.
A TV technician who worked for Mr Navalny, sentenced at the same trial in August, also had his appeal against an eight-year sentence rejected on Tuesday.
Daniel Kholodny shouted “Alexei, see you!” just before the video feed of the hearing ended, with Mr Navalny waving his hand in response.
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