Judge to Decide Monday on Bail in Andrews Nude Tape Case

Chicago-area man ordered to return to California to face charges

A judge on Monday will decide whether a Chicago man accused of stalking and secretly videotaping ESPN star Erin Andrews should be returned to Los Angeles as a federal prisoner or be allowed to be freed on bail to face charges against him.

FBI officials late Friday evening arrested Michael David Barrett, who's accused of filming Andrews in the buff in her hotel room, the FBI announced Friday. Barrett appeared in a Chicago court Saturday in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys, who'll decide his fate.

Barrett, 48, was cuffed at Chicago O'Hare International Airport by the FBI, who've charged Barrett stalked Andrews "with the intent to harass, to place under surveillance with intent to harass and intimidate, and to cause substantial emotional distress to a person in another state," the FBI told TMZ.com Friday.

Barrett faces federal charges of interstate stalking for taking the videos, posting them and trying to sell them to TMZ, the FBI said.

He was ordered to return to Los Angeles, where charges against him were filed. A Monday hearing will determine if he will travel in custody or be freed on bond.

His attorney, Rick Beuke, said he's known Barrett for 10 years and called him a "regular guy" and a "great friend" whose has never been in trouble. "I don’t think he’s even had a traffic ticket," Beuke said. "I must have calls from 30 people wanting to know what they could do to help."

Beuke said he assumes the allegations against his client are untrue and that he only met with Barrett briefly. "We'll know more on Monday," he added.

Andrews, 31, expressed relief early Saturday that the FBI had a suspect in custody. The sideline reporter also pledged to help others who had experienced similar situations.

"For my part, I will make every effort to strengthen the laws on a State and Federal level to better protect victims of criminal stalking," she said.

Andrews was shown in the July videotapes walking around her Nashville, Tenn., and Milwaukee hotel rooms in the nude. The tapes were shot with a peephole camera sometime in 2008.

Andrews' lawyer Marshall Grossman said early Saturday Barrett worked to find out where Andrews was staying. Grossman also speculated Barrett "hacked off" the peepholes in the hotel doors, then inserted cameras to film Andrews.

Andrews, the up-and-coming ESPN star who has emerged as the top female talent on the network, appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show earlier this year to talk about the leaked tapes. She said on the show the experience "terrified" her -- and that it was hard to return to work after the films were released.

The reporter, who has worked for the sports network since 2004, will work Saturday evening's Auburn-Tennessee football game. She was twice named "Sexiest Sportscaster" by Playboy magazine in 2008 and 2009.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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