A man accused of stalking Shawn Johnson while she was competing for Dancing with the Stars eighth-season title has been found guilty.
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Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor found Robert O'Ryan guilty on Friday of felony stalking and burglary charges and two misdemeanor concealed weapons violations, The Associated Press reported.
Pastor's verdict came after four days of testimony and evidence when he ruled that O'Ryan was legally insane at the time of his March 2009 arrest, The AP reported.
The 36-year-old had faced up to four years in state prison and two years in county jail after he waved his right to a jury trial and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, according to The AP, which added he will likely serve his sentence in a state mental hospital after a court-ordered evaluation.
"It's the right result," prosecutor Wendy Segall told The AP after the verdict.
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O'Ryan attorney Judith Greenberg claimed that her client did not plan on harming Johnson and was instead suffering from schizophrenia.
"It was clearly an insanity case from the beginning," Greenberg told The AP. "Insanity is a crude weapon for the defense. Perhaps the case shouldn't be in the system."
O'Ryan was arrested when private security officers stopped him after he'd jumped a fence at the Los Angeles studios where Dancing with the Stars' live broadcasts take place.
When caught, he initially told the officers he had come to the set to meet Johnson, but then changed his story and claimed he had come to meet fellow Dancing with the Stars eighth-season contestant Stephen "Steve-O" Glover after Johnson was contacted and said she did not know him.
Once they arrived and searched O'Ryan's car, police found Johnson memorabilia, two loaded guns -- one shotgun and one Colt .45 handgun -- and a collection of materials that could be used for kidnapping someone, including duct tape and zip ties.
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Johnson was subsequently granted a three-year restraining order against O'Ryan.
During her testimony, Johnson stated she was scared of O'Ryan and considered quitting the ABC reality series and moving back to Iowa.
"I didn't know him. He was a stranger to me," testified the 18-year-old Olympic gold medalist, Us Weekly reported. "To see someone with that kind of obsession made me really scared."
However she hired a bodyguard, remained in the competition, and subsequently won the eighth-season title with professional partner Mark Ballas.
O'Ryan is due back in court next month when Pastor will consider the results of a mental evaluation.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio