Cyrus stalking suspect could face felony charge

An Appling man who sold his prized guitars to pay for jewelry he sent to teen singer-actress Miley Cyrus could face felony -- rather than misdemeanor -- stalking charges.

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Special/Morris News Service

Mark McLeod

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Mark McLeod, 54, was arrested last month on Tybee Island, where Miss Cyrus was filming The Last Song. He was charged with misdemeanor criminal attempt to commit stalking.

This week, the charges against the unemployed plumber's assistant were transferred from State Court to Superior Court and assigned to Chief Judge Perry Brannen Jr., according to the Savannah Morning News .

The case will go before a grand jury, and if Mr. McLeod is indicted the charges would be upgraded to a felony.

Mr. McLeod never made contact with the 16-year-old, but Tybee police said he sought her out and told officers she was his secret fiancé who communicated with him through secret messages.

Prosecutors contend that Mr. McLeod is dangerous and should remain in custody, but one of his closest friends says he was misled into believing he had developed a friendship with the actress and would never harm anyone.

"His family was my next door neighbor when I was just 1 year old," said Daryl Morris, of Appling, a lifelong friend who worked with Mr. McLeod for 12 years. "I can tell you he's no danger to nobody."

Mr. McLeod, he said, cultivated his "relationship" with the actress over a two-year period through his association with a $60-a-year fan site, www.mileyworld.com.

"He was always on Miley World," Mr. Morris said. "He got, basically, sucked in on that thing. It was every day. He'd e-mail them, and they'd e-mail him back, like he was talking to someone. In two years, he thought he was talking to Miley the whole time."

Mr. McLeod, who has a degree in classical guitar from a music college in Florida, eventually decided to raise funds to send Miss Cyrus an expensive diamond ring, he said.

"What he done, about six months ago, was he took his two most expensive guitars, $3,500 worth, and hocked them for diamond rings," Mr. Morris said. "He sent the rings off and just mailed them out to the Miley site."

One of the guitars, a Gibson, brought about $2,500, Mr. Morris said.

"I'd like to know who has them now, and what they done with those rings," he said. "When you mail off a ring like that, somebody's getting those things."

Mr. Morris was unsure what happened to the jewelry, and messages left this week seeking comment from Miss Cyrus' publicist, Meghan Prophet, were not returned.

Mr. Morris described his friend as a gentle person who simply didn't understand that he was caught up in something that wasn't real.

"He's one of the smartest fellows you'd ever meet, like a genius," Mr. Morris said. "He worked with me 12 years doing electrical work. He was never late. He was always reading something. He could take motors apart and put them right back together. He is very, very smart. He is not a normal fellow."

Before his arrest, Mr. McLeod confided to his friend that he might have trouble getting close to Miss Cyrus.

"The whole time, he thought Miley was going to save him," Mr. Morris said. "He even told me, 'If something happens to me, just have Miley call them up' and tell them who he was. Going after a 16-year-old girl is not right in anyone's mind, but if you're really in love, it does strange things to you."

Reach Rob Pavey at (706) 868-1222, ext. 119, or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.