A man has been arrested on suspicion of stalking Drew Barrymore.
Chad Michael Busto, a 43-year-old resident of Washington, D.C. who caused a stir earlier this week when he delivered an unsettling message to Barrymore from the crowd at a 92nd Street Y event in New York, was arrested Thursday by the Southampton Town Police, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Busto was booked in relation to a misdemeanor charge of stalking in the fourth degree and held overnight. He was set to appear in Southampton Town Justice Court Friday morning.
A day prior, Busto was detained by Southampton police after receiving a call regarding a suspicious person in the Village of Sagaponack, in the Town of Southampton.
Reportedly, Busto rode his bicycle into the driveways of private properties and informed local residents that he was searching for Barrymore's house. Law enforcement briefly apprehended him on Wednesday for questioning before releasing him.
However, the department's detective division conducting a follow-up investigation was alerted to Busto’s alleged conduct. This, combined with previously reported incidents "led to facts that substantiated a charge for stalking," the department said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Busto was located on Thursday afternoon by East Hampton Town police, which took him into custody before turning him over to Southampton police.
Barrymore had to be escorted off the stage Monday night at the 92nd Street Y event linked to the launch of new music by actor Reneé Rapp. The pair were having a discussion when Busto shouted out Barrymore's name and briskly walked toward the stage.
In response to hearing her name, Barrymore gave a quick "hi" while looking out to the crowd. Busto responded, "You know who I am. I need to see you at some point while I’m in New York."
Video footage posted on TikTok showed Rapp, who was seated beside Barrymore, stand up and put her arm around Barrymore before guiding her off the stage.
Meanwhile, security from the venue escorted Busto, who by that time was in the front row of the auditorium, out of the theater.
After the disruption, Rapp and Barrymore went back on stage and briefly acknowledged the incident before proceeding with the scheduled event.
"I have a new definition of your sexiness. It’s that level of protectiveness," Barrymore said in response to Rapp’s action. "OK, so what were we talking about?"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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