A 30-year-old Lynnwood man with a fixation on Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne was charged Friday with felony stalking.
Prosecutors said James B. Speedy visited Lavigne’s hometown of Ontario in 2003, parked outside her parents’ home and violated the Canadian equivalent of an anti-harassment order by trying to communicate with her in March.
When Lavigne, 19, was performing in Seattle in March, Lynnwood police arrested him as a precaution after he sent her agent more letters and e-mails, deputy prosecutor Janice Albert said.
Officers then got a court-ordered search warrant for Speedy’s home and found several items related to Lavigne, as well as a shotgun, an AR-15 assault rifle and a pistol. The weapons were confiscated, Albert said.
The obsession started in 2003 when he began to write Lavigne, Albert said. He also found out where her parents lived and began writing them.
“He sent his letters by Fed Ex and complained when they were not answered,” Albert said. “In his letters, he discussed (Lavigne’s) family in detail. He sent wine, photos, CDs and requests for contact. They never responded.”
By June 2003, he realized his letters amounted to harassment and sent Lavigne’s family flowers, accompanied by a note that one final letter was on the way, Albert said.
“The final letter arrived on June 25. In it, the defendant wrote that he was forced to admit that his behavior was comparable to that of a stalker,” Albert said.
He wrote that the letter would be the last piece of unsolicited mail the family would receive.
However, he continued sending letters, one a “courtesy notification” that he was in Ontario. He promised not to drive by the house, spy on them or do “anything creepy,” Albert said.
Lavigne’s parents again received flowers on July 17, 2003. The card “apologized again for intruding, being stupid and stubborn, and putting his needs before theirs,” Albert said.
Her parents were terrified because Lavigne had been scheduled to arrive home the next day. Within hours, Canadian police found Speedy “dirty and unshaven” parked in a car near the house.
Despite the Canadian anti-harassment order, Speedy began to contact Lavigne’s agent in March about her Seattle performance.
Nobody responded, and on March 10 “he again e-mailed, saying he would like to attend the event and ‘knock fists’ with” Lavigne, Albert said.
Speedy’s arraignment hearing will be Sept. 17.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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