By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who tried to get into pop star Sabrina Carpenter ‘s home more than a dozen times was ordered by a judge Wednesday to stay away from her for five years.
William Applegate, 31, said at a hearing that he and Carpenter were part of a classified military program that required them to “be together as soon as possible” because it’s essential to “national and global security.”
In one instance last month, Applegate hit a security guard and was arrested after reaching the front door of Carpenter’s home in Los Angeles, she said in a petition. He got there through a neighboring property. He came back in the following days, and the judge issued a temporary restraining order on May 29.
Applegate admitted to all his appearances, saying Carpenter wanted him to be there. However, he said he would be “more than willing” to stay away from her if she told him herself. He said police and her representatives were working against him.
With no attorney, he delivered the message coherently, wearing a suit and sitting at the defense table with a laptop.
Carpenter was ready to testify remotely but was not called to do so.
Her attorney Blair Berk told the judge “she is in fear for her own personal safety and the safety of members of her family.” Berk questioned Applegate only to verify that social media posts about Carpenter were from him.
Applegate said in his filing opposing the restraining order that he was at Carpenter’s Coachella festival performance in April and she had looked at him as she sang in an attempt to communicate with him.
In her petition, Carpenter called him “a complete stranger” who she has never met or communicated with, and never wants to.
Judge David L. Wasserman treated Applegate’s assertions seriously in his questioning and said he appreciated the decorum of everyone in the courtroom.
“I understand that it’s your belief that in order to save the world, you and the petitioner must be together,” the judge said. “I expect you to obey the order, not what you think is right, not what you think the military commands you.”
He ordered Applegate to stay at least 100 yards (meters) from Carpenter and her sister and sister’s partner who live with her, along with many other restrictions. Applegate was also ordered not to attempt to communicate with her in any way and not to possess any firearms.
Applegate remains under a criminal investigation, but court records do not show that charges have been filed.
Carpenter, 27, starred in the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets World” as a teen before turning to a music career. She had modest success with her first few studio albums before scoring a breakthrough with 2022’s “Emails I Can’t Send.” With her 2024 album “Short n’ Sweet” and its No. 1 hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” she became a multiple Grammy winner and one of the biggest pop stars in the world.