Halloween may be over, but an alleged stalker has put a scare in Tyler Perry.
So much so that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the entertainment mogul filed for a protective order Monday against Joshua Sole, a 27-year-old resident of Dunwoody (Georgia) who was booked Friday into the county jail for criminal trespass at Tyler Perry Studios.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in Fulton County Superior Court, Perry says Sole is trying to intimidate him. The suit further noted that Soles was so determined to meet Perry in person that he cut off the power at Tyler Perry Studios in Southwest Atlanta to disable the alarms and surveillance equipment, in addition to climbing into the studio through a suspended ceiling.
Atlanta Police mentioned that they got involved after receiving a call about an intruder at the Tyler Perry Studio about 6 p.m. Thursday. Upon arriving on the scene, an incident reported stated that the head of security told officers that an “employee Joshua Sole has been acting weird” and had barricaded himself in a room where the administrative offices were located.
At the time, the security chief was puzzled by how Sole had gained access to the room. It took police more than four hours to get Sole into custody, the Journal-Constitution reports, adding that Sole was booked into Fulton County jail early Friday morning.
In what capacity Sole was employed with Perry was not detailed in the lawsuit, in addition to whether Perry fired Sole and the reason why Sole wanted to talk to Perry.
Other details found in the suit include claims from Perry of “simple assault” when Sole trespassed on the property as well as harassment from Sole from stalking the entertainer. No specifics were given for those revelations in the lawsuit, which added that Sole has been “stubbornly litigious, or acted in bad faith, or caused the plaintiff unnecessary trouble and expense” without explanation.
Perry is also requesting $25,000 for attorney fees and asked in the lawsuit that the Superior Court require Sole to post a bond to ensure his good behavior. The request, according to the Journal-Constitution, comes as a Fulton County magistrate released Sole on a $7,000 signature bond — meaning he put up nothing of value — the same day he was jailed.
