Mary Lucia's Stalker Sentenced To 5 Years Of Probation, 10 Block Restriction

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 56-year-old Eden Prairie man has been sentenced for stalking well-known Twin Cities radio host Mary Lucia.

On Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court, Patrick Kelly received the maximum length of probation -- 5 years. He'll also be barred from going within 10 blocks of Lucia's Minneapolis home or her St. Paul workplace and was ordered to pay $9,222.99 in restitution.

Kelly pleaded guilty in August to charges of stalking and terroristic threats. He admitted to repeatedly visiting and leaving items at the DJ's Minneapolis home after being served with a restraining order.

In one instance, Kelly placed a plastic bag with a handwritten letter in a plastic bag on the back step of her house. During his guilty plea, however, he claimed he tossed it over her fence.

Lucia was at the sentencing and gave an emotional victim impact statement.

"Lebron James could not have thrown the letter over my fence and land it in the middle of my step," she said.

She said that the stalking began when a listener, Kelly, sent an email saying his dog had died. When she sent him an email expressing her sympathies, he continued to write back and soon she was greeted with various packages at her work, including five pounds of raw meat, a photo of a masked man and some children's toys.

"I would dread going to work to see what horror had been dropped off," she said.

As a result of the stalking, Lucia said she could not sleep or eat, had panic attacks and lost significant weight.

"I never opened my windows," she said to the court. "I jumped whenever the motion sensors went off. I triple-locked my doors. When I went to bed at night, I slept with a baseball bat and a cell phone near me."

Related: After 7-Month Absence, Mary Lucia Returning To The Current

Hennepin County District Court Judge William Koch told Kelly at the sentencing that if he sees Lucia at a shopping center or store, that he must leave immediately.

Koch also ordered Kelly to undergo a mental health evaluation and cognitive skills training.

Kelly also faced 270 days in the county workhouse, but he already spent 197 days in jail and that exceeded the time he would have to serve because of time off for good conduct. Kelly was released later Wednesday morning.

If he violates his probation, Kelly could be sent to prison.