Halle Berry – Man Tries To Steal Her Home, Changes The Locks & Creates A Fake Deed
Halle Berry – Man Tries To Steal Her Home, Changes The Locks & Creates A Fake Deed
We’ve all heard stories about celebrities falling victim to home invasions. But one man took things a step further with actress Halle Berry and tried to steal her whole house. Yes, her house!
Apparently, a 59-year-old man named Ronald Eugene Griffin popped up at her house in L.A. back in January. He was caught playing around with the locks, but then ran off after Berry’s gardener confronted him. But that wasn’t the last time he’d be in her home. In fact, police were called back in March after Griffin tried to trespass onto her property. He was at her home with a locksmith, saying he was the new owner of the home and needed to get inside. He even said he had a deed on hand as evidence.
The story gets even crazier though. Before police arrived, Griffin was able to get one of the locks changed. And he was the one who actually called the police after Berry’s staff approached him. Then, he claimed they were ones who were trespassing.
Of course LAPD didn’t buy his story and realized the deed he claimed he had was fake. Berry reportedly told investigators that she had never met the man and didn’t know who he was. She also confirmed he absolutely didn’t have the green light to be on her property, let alone get inside.
Griffin was taken into custody and charged with a felony of procuring and offering a false warranty deed. He was also charged with one count of petty theft. His bail is $36,000.
Another strange fact about this story? The man had no clue he was at Berry’s house. It turns out that was nothing more than a coincidence.
Berry is no stranger to having unwelcomed guests in her home. She said in 2011 court documents that she came home and encountered an intruder in her kitchen. She said in court documents that Richard Franco, who was 27 at the time, broke into her home.
“[I] ran as fast as I could. I was shocked to see a complete stranger, carrying something in his hands and approaching us. I screamed, ‘There’s a guy in my yard!’ “
She made her way to the panic room monitor and saw the man walk away. But then he came back the next night.
“As I opened my glass kitchen door and closed it behind me, all of a sudden I sensed someone behind me and turned to see the intruder standing less than a foot behind me, staring through my glass kitchen door. Panicking and in fear of my life, I quickly hit the deadbolt lock on the glass door. I grabbed my phone and ran as fast as I could upstairs, slamming each door behind me as I ran. I got upstairs to a safe place, locked myself inside and dialed 911.”
He was later arrested and charged with felony stalking after he returned for the third night. By then, Berry had hired security who was able to warn her he was on the property.
How bizarre is that?!