Hearing set for Thursday

Serena stalker transferred, held on $3,000 bail

NEW YORK (AP) -- Serena Williams' father says the top-ranked tennis player isn't as worried as she should be about the man who's been tracking her around the world.

"I'm extremely concerned," Richard Williams said Sunday at the U.S. Open. "It's getting worse."

Albrecht Stromeyer, a 34-year-old German, was arrested early Saturday morning at the National Tennis Center and will remain in custody until a Thursday court appearance unless he posts $3,000 bail, corrections department spokesman Tom Antenen said.

"The bail is so low, I think that encourages him to keep doing what he's doing," Richard Williams said. "It makes me wonder, `Could he hurt Serena?'"

Serena Williams has been traveling with a bodyguard since May.

Stromeyer was arrested and charged with two counts of stalking after police spotted him watching through a fence as Williams, the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion, played her third-round match against Nathalie Dechy. Officer Michael Esposito recognized Stromeyer from a photo given to police by Williams' manager.

"This guy could have got in and hurt Serena," Richard Williams said. "I don't think Serena takes it seriously enough. She's 20 years old. As a father, it really concerns me."

Stromeyer admitted in a written statement to police that he had been following Serena Williams around the world. He was arrested outside the gates of Wimbledon in July after scuffling with police and told the officers he loves her and would never hurt her.

"I don't really pay any attention to anything like that," she said at the time. "But I don't see how it could affect my game, him being arrested. I'm a strong person. I try not to let things like that affect me."

In May, Stromeyer was ordered to leave Italy after police at the Italian Open received word of his history of harassing Williams. Two months earlier, Stromeyer walked into an Arizona hotel-resort where Serena Williams was playing and asked to see her. When he was turned down, Stromeyer began undressing in front of the desk clerk. He was charged with disorderly conduct and indecent exposure.

Williams' mother, Oracene, also reported seeing Stromeyer at a Berlin tournament in May and at the French Open in June.

Stromeyer, who lives with his parents in Frankfurt and whose mother is a psychiatrist, allegedly has tried to contact Williams by phone and e-mail several times. He faces a $1,000 fine and up to a year in prison if convicted of the stalking charges.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown had requested $50,000 bail for Stromeyer when he was arraigned at Queens Criminal Court Saturday night, Clark said. Judge Lenore Gerald set bail at $3,000.

"The judge felt that this amount of money was the appropriate amount that reflects the nature of the charge," Clark said.

At the request of prosecutors, Gerald granted an order of protection that forbids Stromeyer from coming near Williams, the Women's Tennis Association and the U.S. Tennis Association.

During Wimbledon, Serena said: "I do have my own security here because the more famous you get, the worse it gets. I just try to take extra precautions because I like living."

 

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