Domestic Stalking
Stopping Stalkers PREDATORS CLASSIFICATION: Domestic Stalking Stalking Information and Resource Stalking Resource Center
PREDATORS CLASSIFICATION: Domestic Stalking
Stalkers can be stopped, but you must have three main ingredients to help make this work:
1) The victim or victims must keep and handover all possible evidence to Law Enforcement Officers. This is the most important part of the formula. Quite often, victims will destroy the evidence because they have stopped contact with the stalker. Victims hope this tactic will send a message to the stalker that they are no longer interested in that person. The problem remains because the stalker now believes he or she has to do more to get and retain their victim's attention.
2) Victims must, and I repeat must, stop any and all contact with the stalker. If there is a child and/or property disputes then Law Enforcement Officers and the Courts have to handle these matters. By giving in and contacting the stalker (or allowing the stalker to communicate with the victim) this works to the victim's disadvantage. Now the stalker has a firm conviction, in his or her mind, that the victim still wants them.
3) The victim or victims must have a Law Enforcement Officer on their side investigating their case in an aggressive manner. If the Officer is not aggressive then the problem persists and the victim feels lost and helpless. This causes the victim to violate items 1 and 2 (listed above). Should the victim's revert to violating the first two items, it is unlikely that the Prosecutor and/or the Courts will ever hear or try their case.
In the following portion of this article is a true story of a stalking victim that adhered to all of the above items. The case was tried and the stalker was convicted. This is proof positive that the above listed information is accurate and stalking cases can be won.
Vicki had an intimate relationship with Andrew. After some point in time during the relationship, Vicki realized the relationship was not a healthy one and she terminated the relationship. Vicki told Andrew that it was over between them. Vicki soon learned that Andrew was quite creative and persistent in trying to continue the relationship with her.
Vicki attempted on many occasions to dissuade Andrew from having any contact with her. Andrew persisted in his attempts. Vicki finally realized she would need professional help to stop Andrew and she contacted the Police and filed her first report. Vicki had gone to court and she obtained an Order of Protection against Andrew. The Patrol Officer submitted a lengthy report to the assigned Investigator, the Order of Protection had already been served to Andrew, and a follow-up investigation was started.
Vicki did not turn any evidence over to the Patrol Officer and the Officer did not ask for any. However, the Investigator was able to obtain all of the evidence that Vicki had. Vicki was given specific instructions not to contact Andrew, to keep and hand over any other evidence that she receives, and to contact the Investigator as soon as possible (instead of calling to file more reports). Vicki adhered to these guidelines while the investigation continued.
The Investigator soon learned that Andrew was not only creative and persistent, but he was definitely a difficult person to find and he remained elusive. Andrew had a lengthy criminal history, but he was not on Probation or Parole at the time.
The investigation lengthened into numerous months and the Investigator was not able to locate Andrew. Vicki was confronted with the possibility of having to move from her residence. Vicki believed this would be to her benefit and she moved to another location in town. Vicki only told one friend (and also a former neighbor how to contact her). This was done to alleviate any problems with Andrew being able to track her down.
A former neighbor told Vicki that Andrew was now contacting all of her previous neighbors and the mailman, in an attempt to find out where she went. Vicki relayed this information to the Investigator. The Investigator contacted all of the neighbors, but was not able to locate the mailman. The mailman was a temporary for that route, this was a very large city, and despite numerous attempts could not get the Postal Agency to provide contact information about the carrier.
A break came in the case when the Investigator learned that Andrew had been arrested on a drug charge and was in jail. The investigator interviewed Andrew and Andrew maintained his innocence. Andrew went so far as to say that he has never contacted Vicki, but she is the one who keeps contacting him. After Andrew's time in jail he was placed on Parole (due to his criminal history).
Several months went by and Vicki had not had any attempts or contact from Andrew. Vicki thought this was the end of her saga with Andrew. She was happy and she started a new relationship. Vicki soon learned that Andrew was not through with her.
Vicki came home one evening and found on her answering machine some disturbing information. No, Andrew did not leave any messages. But he did one better than that. Vicki's answering machine contained two voice mail messages. One was from a telephone company operator and one from a Police Dispatcher.
Vicki could not contact the telephone operator, but she was able to talk to the Police Dispatcher. Vicki learned that Andrew was calling these agencies to obtain her new address and telephone number.
Vicki gave the taped voice mail messages to the Investigator. There was just a first name and a generic telephone number for the telephone operator. However, more information was listed for the Police Dispatcher.
The Investigator interviewed the Police Dispatcher and learned there was a tape recording of Andrew's incoming call to the Police. The Investigator obtained a copy of the Police tape. Andrew pretended to be Vicki's lawyer and he was trying to contact her to tell her that one of her brothers had died. The Police Dispatcher was not convinced that Andrew was a lawyer (due to numerous inconsistencies with his story). Andrew later admitted to the Police Dispatcher that he was Vicki's former boyfriend. Andrew was not provided with Vicki's information, but he was left hanging hoping he would receive this information at a later time.
The Investigator contacted Andrew's Parole Officer and Andrew was told to report to his Parole Officer. Andrew arrived on the interview date and he was confident in his demeanor.
Andrew was interviewed at length regarding his recent attempts to obtain Vicki's new address and/or telephone number. Andrew maintained he has never tried or attempted to try to contact Vicki. Andrew persisted that Vicki had been contacting him in violation of the Order of Protection. The Investigator asked Andrew if he would be surprised if there was a tape recording that showed Andrew trying to obtain Vicki's new information. Andrew said he would be surprised.
The Investigator played half of the Police Dispatchers recorded conversation with Andrew. This was done while the Parole Officer sat in on the interview. After the tape was stopped Andrew admitted, with a smile on his face, that he was trying to contact Vicki and that he did say he was her lawyer. Andrew was arrested on the spot, the case was submitted to the Prosecutors Office, and Andrew later pleaded guilty to the crimes he was charged with. Andrew was sentenced to his remaining time from his Parole and to his new sentence.
To this date, Andrew has left Vicki alone and she has been happy in her life and life's pursuits since. Needless to say, I was the assigned Investigator. Being persistent in an investigation pays off, but stalking crimes are lengthy and complicated.
If you have questions on stalking you may contact Mike Guylas at mgulyas@cox.net
Source: Michael Gulyas
PREDATORS CLASSIFICATION: Domestic Stalking
This form of stalking commonly involves persons who are related to the victim, friends, or acquaintances and usually can be associated with one of three types of stalkers. The domestic-power/anger stalker harbors feelings of hatred, revenge, and domination over their victim. Sometimes offenders are so consumed by their anger that they are inappropriately designated as being obsessed. These offenders may exhibit antisocial characteristics, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, insecurity, and fear, but they are not obsessed in a clinical sense. Their inability to manage their personal or public life creates a state of perpetual frustration and anxiety. In turn, their frustrations and emotions lead them into increasingly violent acts. This is the most common type of domestic stalker and the most likely to do physical harm to the victim. The victims are usually women caught up in dysfunctional relationships who leave their husbands, lovers, boyfriends, or even acquaintances because they fear for their own personal safety and/or the safety of their children. Enraged, the offender often begins a campaign of relentless pursuit by harassing, threatening, and assaulting and, in some cases, killing the victim.
The domestic-obsessional stalker usually has motivations less obvious than the power/anger stalkers. Their victims are former friends or lovers, coworkers, acquaintances, and relatives. Often plagued by psychological disorders including schizophrenia, paranoia, and personality disorders, the offender becomes fixated upon their victim and relentlessly pursues them. What separates the obsessional from other types of stalkers is their often irrational and illogical behavior caused by psychological dysfunctioning. These offenders sometimes are persons who are gainfully employed and may appear to most others as quite normal. For the victim however, contact with the obsessional offender becomes a series of frequent telephone calls, house calls, letters, gifts, followings, and harassments. Caught in obsessions the offender will often make claims that the victim wants to be with the offender and that they are meant to be together.
In other instances the offender believes the victim to be an enemy who is plotting to do harm and must be stopped. The obsessional attachment is based in delusional beliefs that the victim is an enemy to the offender and community in which he/she resides. The offender believes that no one else is truly capable of stopping this threat and feels they are on a mission to save everyone.
The domestic-nuisance stalker is an offender who uses various forms of harassment as his or her primary tool. The victims are coworkers, acquaintances, relatives, and former friends. The offender does not attempt to harm or threaten the victim. In many cases the offender is trying to establish a friendly relationship with the victim but through unconventional means. The offender is either misguided and lacking in adequate social skills or derives pleasure through fantasy and the behavioral process of harassment. They may think that the victim actually finds the harassment a bit thrilling and looks forward to hearing from the offender. Such harassment may even begin in a joking manner and escalate into stalking.
Source: Dr. Eric Hickey
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