Kent Police arrested a stalking suspect after a victim reported that he violated a stalking protection order, the Kent Police Department said.
Police said that Officer Quidachay received the report Wednesday, Aug. 19. The suspect was not a former partner and did not know the victim well, police said. Kent Police said the man saw the victim on social media and began stalking her for reasons he could not or would not fully explain.
The victim kept records, sought help and went to court to request a stalking protection order, police said. After the order was granted, the suspect violated it and the victim contacted Kent Police.
After gathering information, Quidachay called the suspect, who acknowledged that he knew about the order, police said. Quidachay encouraged him to come to the police station, where he was arrested and booked.
“A lot of our stalking cases occur after bad break ups, but this was not that,” Kent Police said. “It’s more unusual, but it does happen.”
Police said stalking victims should document incidents and avoid contact with the person stalking them. Police recommend keeping texts, voicemails, letters, dates, times and photos, making police reports, requesting a no contact order, refusing gifts and being firm about having no contact.
Police also urged people not to underestimate the danger.
“We know that orders, police reports, and good records are not a perfect system,” police said. “They are necessary and do allow us to intervene immediately in the moment, which is a valuable tool when keeping someone safe.”
Kent Police also recommended that people who are being stalked turn off location services and GPS sharing, block the person’s phone number, email and social media accounts, review online privacy settings and remove personal information from search tools.
Police said victims should consider varying their daily schedules and travel routes, avoiding going places alone, setting up home security systems and alerting trusted friends, family, schools, employers and human resources staff so they do not release personal information or share details on social media.
More information on safety planning is available at https://www.thehotline.org/resources/stalking-safety-planning.
