Chester Bennington's Stalker Sentenced To Two Years In Jail

02/21/08 5:30pm

An Albuquerque, New Mexico woman who admitted to cyber-stalking Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Devon Townsend worked at Sandia National Laboratories, which develops technology to support U.S. national security, and used computers there to illegally access private information about Bennington and his wife Talinda in 2006. She admitted to obtaining family photos, monitoring voice messages and going to Arizona to meet the singer after learning of his travel plans. She also accessed correspondence between Warner Bros. Records and Linkin Park's lawyer, including a cheque issued to Bennington by the label and a copy of the group's recording contract. Investigators reported that Townsend also hacked into Talinda Bennington's email and threatened her over the phone.

Townsend was fired after her employer found out about her transgressions. She was charged and released to her mother's custody in November 2007.

Townsend cut a deal where she pleaded guilty to stalking and other charges. She now has 60 days to surrender and enter a minimum-security prison in Phoenix, Arizona, where she's expected to receive mental health care.

You won't have to be a computer whiz or have access to private files to stalk Bennington this week, as Linkin Park plays Montreal's Bell Centre on Friday and the John Labatt Centre in London, Ont. the next night.