A well-known Austin man charged with three felony counts of stalking a victim younger than 18 pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Loren F. Bellrichard, 67, denies the charges in Mower County District Court that allege he left letters and gifts for a 16-year-old girl after he was told to cease contact with her. Police arrested Bellrichard on Sept. 20 and said they had warned him in the past about this activity. Bellrichard has since been released on $5,000 conditional bail, according to court administration.

According to the court complaint, Bellrichard left letters and notes for the 16-year-old in April and May. Officers told Bellrichard to stop, the complaint added. However, the 16-year-old then received a bicycle, softball glove, ball and bat on Sept. 20. A note was also with the items; however, it was not signed. Officers said they recognized the writing from previous letters sent by Bellrichard.

Officers later spoke with Bellrichard at a home in the 1600 block of Third Ave. NW, where he allegedly told officers he bought the girl the softball equipment as he thought she would be good at the sport, and he bought the bike so she could get to practice. Documents indicate Bellrichard bought the $374 bike at an Austin store in early September.

Bellrichard was convicted in 1991 for threatening public officials. While in prison on original charges, he sent more threatening letters to public officials, which added seven years to his sentence. Bellrichard was acquitted of charges that alleged he set fire to the homes of two district judges in 1988 and 1989. In 2010, he also ran for a seat on the Mower County Board but wasn’t elected.

Bellrichard’s pretrial is set for Jan. 23, 2014.