Andrew Truelove, 41, who is accused of storming the set of NBC's "Today" Show and directing a racial slur at host Craig Melvin, will be held at Rikers Island indefinitely. A Manhattan judge ordered Truelove held without bail on Wednesday after determining he had violated the terms of his probation.
Prosecutors stated that Truelove entered an unauthorized area of 30 Rockefeller Center on July 16, inquiring about Al Roker before encountering Melvin and allegedly using a racial epithet. He was arrested near Studio 1A that morning. His bail was initially set at $10,000 the following day during his arraignment.
During Wednesday's hearing, Justice Gregory Carro heard arguments that Truelove's arrest constituted a violation of probation conditions from a prior criminal mischief conviction. Truelove had pleaded guilty to that charge on June 18 and received a sentence of time served after spending six months in custody. Details of that prior case were not immediately available.
For the "Today" show incident, Truelove faces charges of burglary and menacing as a hate crime. If convicted of the top charge, he could face up to 15 years in prison. Even if he had posted the $10,000 bail for these new charges, Carro's decision to remand him for the probation violation means he will remain in custody until the case is resolved.
Court documents indicate Truelove has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He has previous out-of-state convictions, including a 2012 arrest in Virginia for stealing signs from playgrounds that honored victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Truelove is scheduled to appear in court again on August 5.