Obsessed Ariana Grande Fan Pleads Guilty To Criminal Harassment
Ariana Grande is finally getting justice against a man who has been reportedly stalking her for a long time. There seems to be an increase in reports of celebrity women getting stalked and harassed by crazed fans on social media. But it seems like law enforcement is finally getting involved and doing something about it.
A man who was harassing Ariana Grande, 23, has reportedly pled guilty. Timothy Normandin, 31, plead guilty to criminal harassment after being accused of sending Grande a series of bizarre gifts, including a 42-pound pumpkin, a $200 ankle bracelet, eight Yankee Candles, dog and cat calendars, and a rock from the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Normandin said he traveled to New York and Connecticut in hopes of speaking to Grande.
While some reports state that Normandin is from New Hampshire, MassLive.com says he hails from Lowell, Massachusetts. He pled guilty in Lowell District Court on Tuesday, Dec. 13 after authorities discovered he was stalking and harassing the pop star for nearly three years, according to the Lowell Sun.
Normandin was ordered to serve three years of probation and to continue mental health counseling after it was revealed in court that he had been diagnosed with delusional disorder and paranoia. He has also been ordered to stay away from drugs and alcohol and to remain in the state of Massachusetts. If Normandin tries to reach Grande or her family, he will face possible jail time.
Before his arrest, Normandin was sending text messages to Grande, harassing her on social media, and even traveling to certain cities to try to talk to the singer. Normandin’s Facebook page is filled with lewd and suggestive poems about the singer. There are also some videos Normandin posted featuring his poems, most about Grande.
Lowell police got involved after Normandin reportedly tried to talk to Grande at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut back in 2014. Police said Normandin tried to get past the singer’s security and during questioning he screamed, “It’s love, not threats,” according to The Lowell Sun report. After his arrest, Normandin was given a stern warning from police for giving her the gifts. He was also placed on psychiatric hold after showing up to her label’s New York-based headquarters dressed up as Santa Claus that same year, reports New! Magazine.
In November 2014, he told Boston Magazine that he sent the strange gifts after he heard that Grande’s favorite holiday is Halloween. The 42-pound pumpkin, along with season apples, cost him about $100 to send in the mail to the singer. Normandin also told Boston that despite the constant requests from law enforcement, he continues to shower Grande with more presents.
“Right now, I possess a necklace that I will give to her,” he said. “I heard [Grande] liked Halloween. I had just decided to start sending gifts to her record label. Something she would notice.”
In a post on his Facebook page, he re-wrote the definition of “criminal harassment” as it’s written in the state’s rule books, and argued that he was not acting out “maliciously” or causing the singer “emotional distress” when he tried to get in contact with her.
“Well, that’s the legal definition that they slam me with,” he wrote on Facebook. “The capital portions explain how I don’t fit the definition. Of course, trials and the way court is operated aren’t truly fair. They reach their decision and they don’t listen to your fair reasoning and argument. Nothing real fair about having your intellect silenced in a room full of ignorance.”
Normandin went on to call himself a “romantic,” and he hopes his gifts will attract Grande’s attention so that she will be “more mindful…and use her influence for the better.” He said that Grande “sets a bad example of love” due to society and pop culture’s influence on her. He was hoping to spark a romantic relationship with Grande so that he could set a better example. Normandin also notoriously wrote love notes to Grande, begging her to stop dating her ex-boyfriend, Big Sean.
[Featured Image by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for iHeart]
