A former employee of Tyler Perry said Saturday he is innocent of charges that he was stalking the Atlanta media mogul.
In a statement released through his attorney, 27-year-old Joshua Sole called his Oct. 30 arrest for criminal trespass outside Tyler Perry Studios “a misunderstanding that was blown out of proportion by security guards.”
In a recently filed civil suit, Perry asked the court to ban Sole from coming within 500 feet of him. The suit also seeks to compel Sole to undergo psychological evaluation as well as pay Perry at least $100,000.
Sole responded Saturday that he was a production assistant for Perry whose assignment ended the day of his arrest. According to his lawyer, Kwame Thompson, Sole was hoping to contact Perry “to discuss potential career opportunities.”
Sole said in his statement that he gained access to Tyler Perry Studios using his employee identification badge. Thompson, said “there is not now, and never has been a personal relationship between [he] and Mr. Perry.”
He called his client “a hard-working, single father who is a model and actor.”
Atlanta police were called to Perry’s production office by the head of security, who reported Sole had barricaded himself in a room where the administrative offices were located.
According to the incident report, it took police more than four hours to get Sole into custody. He was booked into Fulton County jail and released on a $7,000 signature bond that same day.
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