Woman to be tried for stalking John Cusack

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 33-year-old woman arrested on charges of stalking actor John Cusack is mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

Emily Diane Leatherman was taken into custody in March near the "High Fidelity" star's residence in the posh California beach community of Malibu and later charged with stalking.

But the case was put on hold while she was evaluated by a court-appointed psychiatrist.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Susan Speer found Leatherman mentally competent after reviewing the psychiatrist's reports and ordered her to stand trial on September 9.

Leatherman also was charged with misdemeanor counts of petty theft and disobeying a restraining order, which Cusack obtained against her last year.

Leatherman had previously had been arrested outside the Beverly Hills home of actor Tom Cruise.

She has been held in custody since her arrest and faces a maximum penalty of three years in state prison if she is convicted.

Cusack, 42, is best known for a string of 1980s films including "Sixteen Candles" and "Say Anything," and for "High Fidelity" in 2000.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Xavier Briand)