Two teenage girls reported threats from Pritchard to the school resource officer at Mariner High School. According to the King County Sheriff’s Office Pritchard made calls all over Puget Sound and there may be victims in Snohomish, King, Pierce and Thurston counties.
For more about this story, go to The Herald article:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20101015/NEWS01/710159802
The King County Sheriff’s Office requests that anyone who has received harassing or obscene phone calls from Pritchard to call them at 206-296-3311 or contact their local police department.
Note: Reference my posting on October 10th, BURGLARIES- And Social Media. Using social media and the internet as a way to gather leads to burglarize homes seems not to have taken off, even though there is the capability to do so. However, according to the National Crime Prevention Center and the National Center for Victims of Crime, over 1 million women and over 370,000 men are stalked annually in the United States (http://ncpc.typepad.com/prevention_works_blog/2007/04/title_3.html). In this modern age, stalkers have many tools to harass and threaten their victims including, spyware, GPS chips on cars and cell phones, and now social media.
According to the Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime there are things you can do to protect yourself from a stalker. From their web site (http://www.ncvc.org/src/main.aspx?dbID=DB_statistics195 ):
Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. No two stalking situations are alike. There are no guarantees that what works for one person will work for another, yet you can take steps to increase your safety.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Trust your instincts. Don't downplay the danger. If you feel you are unsafe, you probably are.
Take threats seriously. Danger generally is higher when the stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the relationship.
Contact a crisis hotline, victim services agency, or a domestic violence or rape crisis program. They can help you devise a safety plan, give you information about local laws, weigh options such as seeking a protection order, and refer you to other services.
Develop a safety plan, including things like changing your routine, arranging a place to stay, and having a friend or relative go places with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the stalker shows up at your home, work, school, or somewhere else. Tell people how they can help you. Click here to learn more about safety plans: http://www.ncvc.org/src/main.aspx?dbID=DB_Safety_Plan_GuideLines333
Don't communicate with the stalker or respond to attempts to contact you.
Keep evidence of the stalking. When the stalker follows you or contacts you, write down the time, date, and place. Keep emails, text messages, phone messages, letters, or notes. Photograph anything of yours the stalker damages and any injuries the stalker causes. Ask witnesses to write down what they saw. Click here to download a stalking incident and behavior log: http://www.ncvc.org/src/AGP.Net/Components/DocumentViewer/Download.aspxnz?DocumentID=39028
Contact the police. Every state has stalking laws. The stalker may also have broken other laws by doing things like assaulting you or stealing or destroying your property.
Consider getting a court order that tells the stalker to stay away from you.
Tell family, friends, roommates, and co-workers about the stalking and seek their support. Tell security staff at your job or school. Ask them to help watch out for your safety.
For more information about cyberstalking go to:
http://www.ncvc.org/src/main.aspx?dbID=dash_Home
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