Comedian's stalker up for parole

"I am no threat to Jerry Lewis and/or his family, or the community at this time," Gary Benson, 55, said during his hearing at the Southern Desert Correctional Center. "I feel bad for what's happened in the past. I just want go on with my life and leave this matter behind."

Benson has served less than three months in prison for aggravated stalking.

The board isn't expected to decide whether to release Benson for at least a week.

Lewis, who did not attend the hearing, has said he is fearful for his life and the safety of his family.

Benson, a 55-year-old diagnosed chronic schizophrenic, was convicted of stalking Lewis in 1995 and given a maximum six-year sentence. He has spent most of that time in and out of mental hospitals or in the county jail.

In July, District Court Judge Michael Douglas revoked Benson's probation amid reports he continued to threaten Lewis and his family and sent Benson to prison to serve the last three years of his sentence.

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