Bono Says Man Has Stalked Him

INDIO — Former entertainer Sonny Bono claims in court documents that he and his family have been stalked for seven years by a man who has made death threats and asked for money.

Bono, a former mayor of Palm Springs, has filed a petition seeking an injunction against James Hamlin, whom police describe as a transient with emotional problems.

The petition, filed this month in Riverside County Superior Court here, claims Hamlin has bothered the Bonos since 1986. A hearing was set for May 25 in Palm Springs.

Hamlin “has bragged many times to different people that he possessed ‘guns and a bomb’ that he would use to kill” Bono, the court papers allege.

Palm Springs Police Capt. Gary Boswell said Hamlin, who is about 40, “does appear to have some self-admitted mental problems we’re aware of” and has undergone therapy with medication.

Letters he has seen show Hamlin was fixated on the former entertainer’s celebrity status, Boswell said.

In 1990, Hamlin led a brief unsuccessful effort to recall Bono as mayor of Palm Springs.

The injunction request followed Hamlin’s visit May 4 to Bono’s home, where Hamlin talked through the gate to one of Bono’s sons, asking him about another son. Police took Hamlin to a hospital for observation.

Bono asked for an injunction that would keep Hamlin at least 150 yards from his family and stop him from sending annoying mail.