Sabrina Carpenter gets 5-year restraining order against man who kept
trying to enter her home
[June 18, 2026]
By ANDREW DALTON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who tried to get into pop star Sabrina
Carpenter 's home more than a dozen times was ordered by a judge
Wednesday to stay away from her for five years.
William Applegate, 31, said at a hearing that he and Carpenter were part
of a classified military program that required them to “be together as
soon as possible” because it’s essential to “national and global
security.”
In one instance last month, Applegate hit a security guard and was
arrested after reaching the front door of Carpenter's home in Los
Angeles, she said in a petition. He got there through a neighboring
property. He came back in the following days, and the judge issued a
temporary restraining order on May 29.
Applegate admitted to all his appearances, saying Carpenter wanted him
to be there. However, he said he would be “more than willing” to stay
away from her if she told him herself. He said police and her
representatives were working against him.
With no attorney, he delivered the message coherently, wearing a suit
and sitting at the defense table with a laptop.
Carpenter was ready to testify remotely but was not called to do so.
Her attorney Blair Berk told the judge “she is in fear for her own
personal safety and the safety of members of her family.” Berk
questioned Applegate only to verify that social media posts about
Carpenter were from him.
Applegate said in his filing opposing the restraining order that he was
at Carpenter's Coachella festival performance in April and she had
looked at him as she sang in an attempt to communicate with him.
In her petition, Carpenter called him “a complete stranger” who she has
never met or communicated with, and never wants to.
Judge David L. Wasserman treated Applegate's assertions seriously in his
questioning and said he appreciated the decorum of everyone in the
courtroom.
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Sabrina Carpenter appears at the 68th annual Grammy Awards in Los
Angeles on Feb. 1, 2026. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
 “I understand that it's your belief
that in order to save the world, you and the petitioner must be
together,” the judge said. “I expect you to obey the order, not what
you think is right, not what you think the military commands you.”
He ordered Applegate to stay at least 100 yards (meters) from
Carpenter and her sister and sister's partner who live with her,
along with many other restrictions. Applegate was also ordered not
to attempt to communicate with her in any way and not to possess any
firearms.
Applegate remains under a criminal investigation, but court records
do not show that charges have been filed.
Carpenter, 27, starred in the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets
World” as a teen before turning to a music career. She had modest
success with her first few studio albums before scoring a
breakthrough with 2022's “Emails I Can't Send.” With her 2024 album
“Short n' Sweet” and its No. 1 hits “Espresso” and “Please Please
Please,” she became a multiple Grammy winner and one of the biggest
pop stars in the world.
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