Man arrested outside Paris Hilton's home charged

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man arrested outside Paris Hilton's coastal home was charged Tuesday with disobeying a court order to stay away from the socialite.

Sheriff's deputies arrested James Rainford on Monday, the third time in less than a year that the 36-year-old has been jailed for trying to meet Hilton.

He pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon and was being held on $30,000 bail, district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Jail records do not indicate whether he has an attorney.

Authorities said Rainford was arrested Monday after paparazzi who were outside Hilton's home recognized him.

A judge issued a restraining order in October after Rainford was arrested outside Hilton's Hollywood Hills home.

He was arrested earlier this year after he attempted to grab Hilton's then-boyfriend, Cy Waits, outside a Los Angeles courthouse where the pair testified against another man who attempted to burglarize the hotel heiress' home in the Hollywood Hills.

Rainford pleaded no contest in April to misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 227 days in jail, but records show he was released May 20.

Rainford was released after serving less than a month because of jail overcrowding and mandatory credits imposed by the state, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

He is due back in court July 15.