A man accused of stalking and threatening the teen sister act known as Aly & AJ sent e-mail and handwritten notes to the singing duo, police said Friday.
Rex Mettler, 42, of Lancaster, obtained contact information for the sisters and also made threats by phone, police detective Nick Snyder said. No further details were released.
Mettler appeared in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Friday, a day after his arrest on a felony charge of menacing by stalking. Bond was set at $50,000, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 3. The court did not have an attorney listed for Mettler, a clerk said. No plea was entered.
Aly & AJ were scheduled to perform Friday night in Cincinnati, 110 miles southwest of Lancaster. Snyder said he could not comment on whether any of the alleged threats involved the Ohio show.
The Cincinnati concert would go on as planned, said Rosemarie Moehring, spokeswoman for National City Pavilion at Riverbend.
The charge against Mettler stems from incidents that began Dec. 15, Snyder said.
“Rex displayed a pattern of activity over that time that reflected multiple attempts, if not numerous attempts, at stalking these females,” he said.
The investigation began in southern California, where the entertainers live. Lancaster police were contacted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which provided assistance that led to the arrest, Snyder said.
Aly & AJ are Alyson Michalka, 19, and her sister, Amanda, 17, who toured earlier this year with fellow Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus of “Hannah Montana.” The Michalkas had a top 20 album in 2007 and top 20 single with “Potential Breakup Song” and are now touring on their own.
A Disney Channel spokeswoman did not return messages seeking comment.