Shawn Johnson's Alleged Stalker Pleads Insanity

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2010— -- The man accused of stalking Olympic gold medalist and "Dancing with the Stars" champion Shawn Johnson today said he is not guilty because he is insane.

Robert O'Ryan's stalking trial began today in at Los Angeles County Superior Court, although testimony won't begin until Tuesday at the earliest.

O'Ryan is accused of showing up at the "Dancing With the Stars" set in Los Angeles last year with two loaded guns, a bullet-proof vest, duct tape and love letters written to Johnson. He reportedly told police he believed he was supposed to have a child with Johnson.

Wearing a blue and yellow jail uniform and a thick goatee, O'Ryan, entered a second plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Judge Michael Pastor asked, "Is this your desire?"

"Yes, your honor," O'Ryan responded.

O'Ryan also waived his right to a jury trial, which means the judge alone will decide whether he is guilty.

The 36-year-old man from Florida is charged with felony counts of stalking and burglary, along with two misdemeanor counts of carrying a loaded firearm. He could get close to six years in state prison if he is found guilty and sane or, potentially, the rest of his life in a mental hospital if he is found guilty and insane.

O'Ryan told the judge he understood that gamble and was willing to move forward with his insanity plea.

His public defender has said previously that her client had no personal contact with Johnson, although the district attorney claims O'Ryan was willing to do anything he could to get close to her, even if it meant breaking into the Los Angeles TV lot where "Dancing with the Stars" is filmed.

Prosecutors have yet to present any evidence at the trial, but they brought two guns, a wooden baton-type object and other weapons into the courtroom today.

Shawn Johnson's Alleged Stalker on Trial

Johnson is expected to testify against O'Ryan this week.

O'Ryan was arrested at the "Dancing With the Stars" studio on March 24, 2009

At the time, police said they believed he had driven cross-country from his home at the Osprey RV Park in Yulee, Fla., to Los Angeles to see Johnson.

Five days before the arrest he had been pulled over in Alabama, and the dash-cam video of the traffic stop recorded him telling the police officer that he intended to "try to get her [Johnson] to marry" him.

"I know if sounds a little bit crazy, but my, uh, intuition tells me that we're gonna have a beautiful relationship together," O'Ryan told the policeman.

During the 29-minute stop, O'Ryan mentioned Johnson at least three times.

When the policeman asked O'Ryan where he was headed, O'Ryan said "California" and identified Johnson as "an Olympic gymnast. ... She's on TV now."

"I'm meeting her there and, uh, I'm going to try to get her to marry me," he said.

The Alabama policeman issued O'Ryan two tickets, one for not having insurance and the other for an expired license plate.

O'Ryan was a former Olympic hopeful before an injury caused extreme depression, a friend told ABC News.

He reportedly lived in the Florida RV park for less than a year and was considered a "loner" to neighbors.

"He didn't seem to associate with too many people," neighbor Dennis Cronin told ABC News' Jacksonville affiliate WJXX.

"He was just weird," another neighbor, Lorynn Thomas, said.

It's a different picture than a friend of O'Ryan's painted of the University of Florida graduate.

O'Ryan graduated with a degree in engineering and even tried out for the Olympic rowing team, but hurt his back and became extremely depressed, the friend said.

Shawn Johnson's Alleged Stalker on Trial

Larry Robinson, who co-operates the RV park, acknowledged O'Ryan's back injury and said the man had trouble walking but turned down all offers to help.

"He was real independent," Robinson told The Florida Times-Union. "I was going to take his mail to him ... but he said, 'No. I don't want no help.'"

O'Ryan has no criminal record in Florida.