Man Held in Stalking of Top Skater : Arrest: Westminster resident with history of mental problems targeted Germany’s champion, Katarina Witt, U.S. attorney says.

An unemployed man with a history of psychological problems was arrested at his home here Thursday after allegedly stalking Olympic figure skating champion Katarina Witt at her home in Germany and writing her threatening and obscene letters.

FBI officials said they were worried that the suspect, Harry Veltman III, 47, might try to harm Witt at a skating performance scheduled for tonight at the Forum in Inglewood. He had been arrested--but not prosecuted--in January after throwing sexually threatening letters onto the ice at a Denver appearance by Witt.

“The arrest was timed because we didn’t want him on the street (Friday) night,” said James Donckels, agent in charge of the FBI’s Santa Ana office. “He was a significant threat. . . . Obviously, he was obsessed with this lady.”

However, during an appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Veltman protested that he would never harm Witt, 26, and that he wanted only to persuade her “to love me and marry me.”

He even asked that Witt be contacted about his arrest to see whether she would bail him out. “She’s the only friend I have,” he said.

Veltman was charged with four criminal counts, one alleging that he sent an obscene letter through the mail and three alleging that he threatened Witt through the mail. Each count carries a sentence of up to five years in federal prison.

According to the complaint against him, Veltman has sent 60 unsolicited letters to Witt in Germany since July, 1990, along with nude and erotic photos of himself.

Some of the letters contained graphic descriptions of his sexual desires for Witt, who charmed the skating world in the 1980s by winning two Olympic medals and other world championships. The letters also included what federal prosecutors characterized as “threats” against Witt if she did not respond to Veltman’s declarations of love.

In a letter dated Nov. 17, 1990, for instance, Veltman talked about having visited Witt’s home in Altenhof, Germany, hiding behind a tree in her yard and leaving a bundle of letters on her front doorstep in hope of seeing her receive them, federal prosecutors said.

Veltman said in court that he got the home address from Witt’s coach.

“I love you and lust for you so much Katarina!” he allegedly wrote Witt after the visit. “I would never do anything to harm you! Now you should know it! You have virtually no security in your home! If I were evil, I could have broken a window, entered your house and raped you and killed you before you could telephone for help!”

In an earlier letter, Veltman had also warned that “whoever fails to follow my rules must be terminated immediately,” according to the complaint.

In court, Veltman insisted he had meant terminated as in fired from their jobs, not killed.

Witt’s attorney contacted the FBI about the letters and turned them over to investigators, agent Donckels said.

At Veltman’s arraignment, U.S. Magistrate Charles F. Eick threw out one of the counts of threatening Witt though the mail for lack of evidence. But he refused a defense motion to set bail for the suspect, who is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

Finding that the suspect “poses a threat to the safety of the community,” Eick instead ordered Veltman held until psychiatrists and the court can determine his mental competency. A hearing on that issue was scheduled for Jan. 6 in Santa Ana.

Veltman did not enter a plea, pending the competency hearing.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Uttam Dhillon told the court that Veltman has had a history of psychological problems and been diagnosed as a “paranoid schizophrenic” by doctors at County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Unemployed, Veltman lives with his mother in Westminster and apparently receives disability payments, according to federal authorities. His only known conviction came in 1984 for tax evasion in Idaho, where he may have worked as a sharecropper, authorities said.

Veltman, balding with a gray beard, ignored the advice of his public defender at Thursday’s hearing and interrupted the proceeding several times to declare his love for Witt and urge that she be subpoenaed to testify in court about their relationship.

The defendant also asked to be allowed to represent himself in court, saying: “I’m not sure who I can trust to speak on my behalf.”

Eick refused the request, saying Veltman is “not entirely in touch with reality” and suffers from “grandiose delusions.”

The judge said the public defender’s office will continue to represent Veltman.

At Veltman’s home in Westminster, his mother refused comment. Neighbors said Veltman kept to himself, and they expressed surprise by allegations that he harassed Witt.

“He’s really quiet,” said Shawn Craig, 19. “But he can be strange.”

Neighbors said Veltman had given them and other acquaintances copies of a 30-page manuscript that he was trying to get published, titled, “The Doctrine of the Desolator.”

Veltman maintained in his manuscript that he had been unfairly sentenced to six months in federal prison after his conviction for tax evasion. He also alleged widespread corruption in government and called for a new Constitution.

Veltman had also recently declared himself a presidential candidate, federal prosecutors said.

Times staff writer Thuan Le contributed to this report.