Prosecutors say man who entered San Mateo County home of Steph Curry skipped out on initial court date

[CurryFan]

ATHERTON — A man missed a recent court date after he was arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespassing for allegedly entering the Atherton home of a Golden State Warriors superstar in October, according to prosecutors. The 18-year-old man accused of the crime is an exchange student from China who currently lives in Cupertino, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said Monday. The man told prosecutors that he was interested in meeting a “famous basketball player” and heard that Golden State Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry lives in Atherton, which includes the most expensive ZIP code in the nation. On Oct. 15, the man took a bus from Cupertino to Atherton and asked a person walking their dog if they knew where the Curry house was located; the passerby pointed out the gated home. According to Wagstaffe, surveillance video showed the man tinkering with buttons on the gate, before the gate to the home opened. Wagstaffe said authorities did not know if the gate opened because of the button-pressing, making the suspect  the “luckiest guy in the world,” or if other factors like a malfunction or a button press from inside the home opened the gate. The man walked inside the unlocked front door after accessing the property. The NBA superstar and his wife, celebrity chef and entrepreneur Ayesha Curry,  were not inside at the time, but Wagstaffe said their children and family nanny were. The nanny immediately confronted the man upon his entry to the home and asked why he was there. The man told the nanny he was looking for a “signature.” The nanny told him to leave — the suspect did so immediately — and called police. Atherton police responded quickly and found him nearby. The man cooperated and told police he was seeking Curry’s autograph. He admitted he did not have permission to enter the residence, Wagstaffe said. The man was cited and later charged with a misdemeanor by the district attorney’s office for aggravated trespassing. According to Wagstaffe, he was not charged for burglary because there was no evidence proving the man had intent to steal property or commit a felony at the home. Since the alleged trespass took place at a residence, the charge was upgraded to aggravated trespassing under California law, which carries a maximum sentencing of one year opposed to six months for a regular trespassing charge. The man didn’t appear to his scheduled arraignment hearing on Dec. 7, Wagstaffe said. A $500 misdemeanor warrant was issued for the man for failing to appear to the hearing. Wagstaffe said his office had not heard from the man since the scheduled court date. Atherton police did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Word of the alleged trespassing comes nearly a year after the Curry couple wrote an email to Atherton officials asking them to reconsider the planned development of a high-density housing complex near their home. “Safety and privacy for us and our kids continues to be our top priority and one of the biggest reasons we chose Atherton as home,” the Currys wrote. “With the density being proposed for 23 Oakwood (Blvd.), there are major concerns in terms of both privacy and safety with three‐story townhomes looming directly behind us.”

Source: https://www.thereporter.com/2023/12/11/ ... ourt-date/