The Chatham County grand jury on Wednesday denied charges against 53-year-old Mark McLeod of Appling, Ga., saying there wasn’t enough evidence to indict the accused for felony. McLeod was arrested in August for trying to stalk teen star Miley Cyrus, while filming a movie in Georgia.
Lydia Sermons, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Larry Chisolm, stated that the lawyer agreed with the decision of the grand jury, but they are still planning to charge McLeod in a lower court with attempted stalking and disorderly conduct.
McLeod was arrested twice on Tybee Island where Cyrus was filming “The Last Song”. Police said that McLeod, who claimed to be engaged to Cyrus, refused to be escorted off the set. The case was then transferred to a Superior Court in an attempt to impose felony charges against the accused, but the grand jury refused to indict McLeod.
McLeod’s lawyer said that he felt “vindicated, a little bit” about the decision of the grand jury. Atty. James Byrne suspects his client to be delusional, but his actions never threatened the 16-year-old “Hannah Montana” star.
“The grand jury showed some common sense, which no one else in this case seems to have, which is there’s nothing to these charges,” McLeod’s lawyer said. “He didn’t stalk anyone, he didn’t threaten anyone. He acted strangely, and that’s why he’s in jail.”
McLeod, who has been in jail since Aug 4, remains on a $55,200 bond. Due to McLeod’s unemployed status, Byrne plans to ask the judge to lower the bond once the charges for misdemeanour are posed.
