Suspect Arrested for Stalking Local Newscaster Kelly Mack

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, May 24, 2000

"Suspect Arrested for Stalking Local Newscaster Kelly Mack"

Burbank – The victim, newscaster Kelly Mack, works for the NBC News in Burbank, California. Beginning in 1990, while working at an NBC affiliate station in Atlanta, Ga., Mack became the focus of an apparently obsessed fan, 49 year old Gerald Bertolini, who, despite numerous warnings, attempted to contact and communicate with Mack on a daily basis.

Since re-locating to the Los Angeles area, Mack has continued to receive angry faxes and phone calls from Bertolini who continued to reside in Georgia. Due to the long-standing liaison that exists with the movie and television community in the Southern California area, the Threat Management Unit (TMU), Los Angeles Police Department, has been monitoring Bertolini’s communications with Mack since 1995.

On May 19, 2000, Bertolini sent a fax to Mack and advised that he was coming to California in order to meet with her and "settle" their differences. On May 23, 2000, Bertolini arrived in the Burbank area and sent a fax to Mack directing her to meet with him at his hotel room. NBC security agents intercepted the fax and immediately notified the Burbank Police Department. Burbank patrol officers responded to Bertolini’s hotel room where he was arrested without incident.

Due to the Threat Management Unit’s ongoing involvement in this matter, Detectives from the Burbank Police Department requested that TMU assume the investigative responsibility for this case.

Gerald Bertolini remains in custody for violation of Penal Code Section 646.9 (Stalking). Bail has been set at $150,000.

For Release 9:00 am PDT
May 25, 2000