January is the 15th Stalking Awareness Month, held each year to focus attention on the crime of stalking. Executive Director of Tri-County Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Shellie Holmes, says stalking happens much more than most people think it does. She says with the Jayme Closs case in the news, that would have been a stalking case if Jayme had known about it...
"...There are so many different forms of stalking and it's important people understand that. The general public is in and out of relationships all the time. Stalking can occur with someone that is unknown to the victim or it can be someone the victim knows and they want to get out of a relationship with...."
She says the legal definition of stalking is a repeated pattern of behavior, more than twice, that causes a reasonable person to feel fear. She gives some examples...
"..Lets say the jilted party tracks your phone, tracks your car, slashes your tires, knows where you are all the time, sends you messages, blows up your phone with texts. That could be considered stalking..."
Shellie Holmes says it's important for the person not feeling comfortable to clearly tell the person they don't want any more contact and to document what is happening. She says there are safety tips that include act on your instincts. She says sending a cease and desist letter is one step. She says identify the early signs of privacy intrusion. She says if someone is always around you, that is not normal. She says let friends and family know someone might be stalking you.
"..Not only do we have Jayme Closs, which is a different kind of stalking, but we had a classic case of stalking here in Rhinelander a number of years ago. A lot of times stalking does end in a homicide because the stalker would be a perpetrator who lost control...."
More information is available through Tri-County Council. They're headquartered in Rhinelander and also service Vilas and Forest counties. We have a link to their contact informationhere.
