September 17th, 2011 – Day 47 of Morgan’s Stalking – Mind Games?

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Morgan's shadow

Morgan striking a pose

Today was the Balloon Festival in Snowmass Village.  We thought about going, but Morgan didn’t feel like it, so we decided not to go. It was a quiet day, Morgan went to her friend’s house and Steve and I caught up on work.  He also boxed up the umpteenth, “catch the stalker device” for return.  As usual it sounded great in the description, but had some sort of fatal flaw upon actual hands-on inspection.  Unfortunately, we didn’t just need a stalker catcher, we needed a super stalker catcher.

I texted Morgan at 10:41pm, “Coming home? Almost 11?”  Morgan answered, “Oo. I’m at a birthday party. Can I be a little later?”  I said, “How much longer getting really tired?  Morgan answered, “How late can I be?”  I gave in a little, “11:30, but any later will be really hard for me.”  Morgan was a sweetheart and as usual, she just said, “K. ;)”   I reminded her, “Text me at 11:20 when you are leaving & please have someone walk you out to the car OK?”  “Will Do.”  she said.  It was really hard trying to stay awake so I could be out on the front porch when Morgan drove up after dark – I missed those nights before a stalker had entered our lives – the nights that Morgan could come home anytime she wanted, safely unlocking the front door and coming in her own home without us knowing…those days were now gone for us.

At 11:18 she texted “On my way.”  And I answered her, “Ok”

She was home shortly after that and we were lying in bed when our neighbor Rhonda called at 11:48 pm.  She had seen Morgan’s motion light go on outside, and Rhonda’s little dog was barking at that side of our house.

Trying not to think about the stalker didn’t last very long, now Steve was out the bedroom door quickly.  With him was the thermal imaging scope, which he took up to the top of the berm – there he planted himself, and watched.  I could not see where he was, and none of the usual alarms were following him around the house so I waited.

Later he would tell me he spent a lot of time watching the ranch behind us, because from where he sat nobody could cross from the berm around our subdivision to the buildings on the ranch without being spotted.  He could clearly pick out movement all the way down to the Blue Creek subdivision.  He did see movement, only it was just animals, large and small, nothing human, or even close.

That he could see so well in the dark was encouraging, I wondered if he could hide in a car at the end of our street or even across the street, and just watch select houses.  He was thinking that just as suspects had been eliminated that now with the ability to “see” people in the darkness he could eliminate areas.  As in this evening he was fairly certain nobody had crossed to the ranch the entire time he was out there.

Rather than try to chase the stalker, which we had proven to be rather futile, he would pick an area and watch it from a distance.  No attempt to physically capture anyone at all, simply see them enter a house from the yard after a stalking incident.

Morgan was fast asleep when we finally gave up for the night, so we couldn’t ask her, and all I had recorded was a question mark as to if she heard noise on her windows or not, I must have forgotten to follow up on that the next morning.  But there were the motion lights Rhonda saw, and then lights that I saw go on.  Rhonda’s dog had been barking, and Steve decided that in the future that will be enough.  He will go outside, and spend as much time as he can, and eventually he will spot someone moving out there.  Instead of even trying to catch him, he was now just going to try to spot him from far away, and narrow down just where he came from, and where he went to.

We had gone from trying to catch the stalker red-handed to allowing a comfort zone that would let us to zero in on him over time.  To me it was bizarre, to allow him to move about, make him feel like we were backing off, so that eventually we could really catch him, but so far nothing else had worked.

(Police reports later show the “suspect” was not working this evening.  On 9.17.2011 he worked from 1:00 am – 6:01 am & then from 6:29 am – 9:32 am… so he was free this evening to continue his stalking & torment)

Click here to read about the 48th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=1220

September 16, 2011 – Day 46 of Morgan’s Stalking

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MJ thinking

Morgan Jennifer, deep in thought

Morgan was so upset in the morning. I kept asking her about the car that followed her, if she had any more details that she could remember.  She said she remembers the silhouette of a small car, couldn’t tell what color, she remembered the outline of a male driving, and female in the passenger seat. By the time she drove into the CMC parking lot all she wanted to do was see which way they were going so she could take off in the opposite direction.  Which is what she did, driving onto Highway 133, the closest thing to a busy street there is in Carbondale.  I kept asking her questions and she blew, sarcastically screaming that of course she should have stopped, and snapped a picture with her iPhone, but she didn’t, she just thought about getting away!  Morgan had done the right thing, but being followed was very scary for her and rightly so.

Ironically, Elliott from across the street calls me, and wonders how it’s been.  I told him immediately about Morgan being followed the night before.  Elliott tells me that he just heard from Brooke’s mom that Keenan had been gone hunting, but now he is now back.  I pause and shake my head, there is this fear of everything, and anything, whether I like to admit it or not, that had become a part of my life then.  Elliott was talking about Keenan, and I was wondering if I could trust Elliott.  If I said something, would it go right back to Brooke’s mom, and then to you know who?  There is nothing good about feeling like that, but I do not tell Elliott that it had been quiet for days.  I wanted to ask him when he left, but he had to get off the phone so I didn’t do that either.

We had been told that Morgan’s case was finally being assigned to a detective, that it would be a few days before we would get a call from him.  I made a note in my dayrunner to ask the detective if he could find out what days Keenan had been gone on his trip.  I circled it in red.  Couldn’t imagine what Morgan had felt like in the car.  Everyone had a different idea. Drive home, don’t go home, drive to the police station, no it was night time and they could all be out on patrol.  Last night in bed Steve and I had walked through every combination and every single one had a glitch in it.  There was never a, “Oh that’s perfect, I’ll tell Morgan that in the morning, she’ll be so relieved.”

That afternoon when Steve came home we went straight to the next order of business.  A restraining order.  It was being suggested more, and more, and maybe it was just me but I grew up in Los Angeles and had watched restraining orders fail in the most horrific ways.  As in gunned down in a parking structure the next day, dead.  But Steve was right we had to do more, I just wasn’t comfortable with this solution.

Steve had one prevailing thought.  What if we had one long shot chance of catching him, detaining him, or positively identifying him in the yard.  With no restraining order, what if he said he was retrieving his tennis ball, and tada! it all became nothing?  With a restraining order it is a felony.  There is a difference.  We wrestled with the pros and cons for quite a while and ended with the decision to defer to the detective.   He would be assigned any day and we would get his input, and allow that to tip the scales.

That night Morgan and I went to do a Pathfinders volunteer call.  A mother had cancer and it was her birthday and anniversay.  She had 2 young boys and needed a babysitter so she could go out with her husband for a few hours to celebrate.  Morgan and I played with her children, while she and her husband went to dinner and a movie.  I had a wonderful time with Morgan.  She loved children, and they always sensed something special in her.  We played little games and stayed with them until their parents came home.  Then Morgan and I drove home together and talked in the car…only about kids and happy things, not about the stalker.

Just before we got home Morgan said she wished that since it was so late and we were coming home from Aspen that the stalker would have already given up for the night and leave her alone.  And this night, her wish was answered.  We had a quiet night.

(Police reports later show the “suspect” was not working the evening of 9.16.2011)

Click here to read about the 47th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=1194

September 15, 2011 – Day 45 of Morgan’s stalking – How Safe Is The Car?

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Morgan in the car

A happy Morgan heading off to somewhere

Morgan left to visit friends after dinner, we followed our little routine, where I walk her out to her car armed with pepper spray.  I watched her backing down the drive, and into the street before going back into my office.

Movement outside caught my attention and I noticed, but did not get a very good look at, a little car racing down the street.  It had come from the end of the cul-de-sac where Brooke, her dad, and Keenan live, and was headed out of the subdivision, at a very high speed.  I probably thought something about the excessive speed not being safe, and then went about my work.

At 8:46 pm Morgan called my cell phone, when I answered it, she was not there.  I called her back from the home phone, and she answered. She had been followed!  Morgan said there were 2 people in the car, she couldn’t tell the color of the car, made some maneuver’s to try to lose the car (going down different side streets), and when she couldn’t shake them she pulled in to the CMC college parking lot in Carbondale, because there were people standing outside of their vehicles and without parking, she sat in her car with her doors locked and waited as the car sped by.  Morgan said she waited for a few minutes, and went out a different exit, drove to Hwy 133, doubled back, and then took side streets to her destination.  She was very shook up over this.

Steve was working late while this was all was going on.  When I called him he came right home.  He drove through the neighborhood at regular intervals that night, and came home one time to report a development. The little green car that had been gone for a while, was now back in the Harris’ driveway.  We never could agree exactly when we stopped seeing it, but it seemed to coincide with the amount of stalking activity.

At 9:15 pm Morgan texted, “On my way,”  I answered, “Ok”

Detective Glassmire said, “Wade and Keenan also talked about a hunting trip to Wyoming where they left September 12 and returned September 15.”  So obviously Keenan had returned by this evening…

Today it is September 12, 2012,  Morgan was followed more times after this.  We didn’t have the correct response prepared before this, and even in successive instances, we improved what to do, but then again none of it worked.  After this instance we all agreed Morgan would call me if anything happened.  Steve and I would use our home phone system to conference Morgan in with 911. The Sheriff’s afterwards told us next time she was being followed to keep driving, don’t go home, and stay on the phone with 911, and tell them where she was so Patrol Officers could intercept, and fall in behind the vehicle following her.  Then as more officers arrived she could just pull off the road and they would handle it from there.  It all sounded so good at the time, solutions that ended well always sounded so good.   I’m not blaming myself, but I do know there is a lesson in all of this, a lot of little lessons.  When they lead to a lot of improvements, that will be gratifying.

Click here to read about the 46th day of Morgan’s stalking https://morgansstalking.com/?p=1186

To all the readers out there – remember to double click on the little bubble at the top right of each blog to read the comments people leave

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THE BUBBLE WILL HAVE NOTHING IN IT IF THERE ARE NO COMMENTS.

THE BUBBLE WILL HAVE A NUMER IN IT TO SHOW HOW MANY COMMENTS ARE IN IT.

JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD SOME PEOPLE EMAIL ME TO ASK HOW TO PUT A COMMENT ON THE BLOG, IN RESPONSE TO WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN FOR THAT DAY, AND THEY HAD NO IDEA THAT ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS DOUBLE CLICK ON THE LITTLE BUBBLE AT THE TOP OF EACH BLOG.  THANKS EVERYONE FOR SHARING WITH ME!

Last blog on stalking was from information provided by Mark Wynn – please see these resources:

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helpful-links-stalking-resource-center.gif

The Stalking Resource Center is a program of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Launched in July 2000, with initial funding from the Violence Against Women Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, our dual mission is to raise national awareness of stalking and to encourage the development and implementation of multi disciplinary responses to stalking in local communities across the country.

The National Center for Victims of Crime is the nation’s leading resource and advocacy organization for crime victims. Since 1985, we have worked with more than 10,000 grassroots organizations and criminal justice agencies serving millions of crime victims. For Victim Assistance, please call 1-800-FYI-CALL, M-F 8:30 AM -8:30 PM EST, or e-mail the victim services staff.
www.ncvc.org

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CAVNET – Communities Against Violence Network

GREAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT SITE – Addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, violence against women, violence against people with disabilities, violence against children, violence against gays and lesbians. The purpose of the CAVNET homepage is to serve as a searchable, authoritative source of information about all of the above topics.

Mark Wynn’s bio – Twenty-one year member of the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department – Served as Lieutenant to the Domestic Violence Division – member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team for fifteen years

He is the recipient of 121 commendations and 51 awards and certificates including the 1995  National Improvement of Justice Award and the 1998 Nashvillian of the Year Award.

He recently received the 2012 Family Justice Center Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2011 he was awarded the “Visionary Award” by  End Violence Against Women International and the Distinguished Faculty Award by the National District Attorney’s Association

Selected in 1995 as one of the top ten police officers in the United States by the International Association of Chief’s of Police and Parade Magazine

Member of International Association of Chiefs of Police National Strategic Partnership on Violence Against Women – Faculty member to the National Leadership Institute

Consultant to the National Stalking Resource Center of the National Center for Victims of Crime.

Consultant to the Department of Justice Office of Victims of Crime – Training and Technical Assistance Center

Adjunct Instructor/Faculty to the  National College of  District Attorney’s conferences on Family Violence for twenty years.

Trainer/Consultant to the American Bar Association International Rule of Law Initiative

1994 Graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy – Session 178

Qualified as “expert” on the issue of family violence in state and federal court

In October of 1995 Lt. Wynn was invited to the White House by President Clinton to deliver a speech on strategies to prevent domestic violence in the United States.

In April 1993 Lt. Wynn was called to testify before Congress for the Energy and Commerce Committee – Subcommittee on Health and Environment. He spoke on the public health issue of violence in the family.

In June of 1994 he testified a second time before Congress going before the House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary on the positive effects on mandatory arrest in incidents of family violence.

Consultant to the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence – Austin, Texas

Past board member to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic Violence.

In October of 1998 he was selected to represent U.S. Law Enforcement before the first United States/Russian conference on Violence Against Women in
Moscow.

Adjunct instructor to the University of Nevada’s National Council of Juvenile and family Court Judges on the issue of family violence.

Co-wrote the Police Officer Standards and Training certified curriculum on Law Enforcement Intervention and Investigation to Domestic and Sexual Violence

Adjunct instructor to the Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy in Nashville

Member of the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Member of the National Center for Victims of Crime

Past member of the Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council for development of policy and training curriculum for law enforcement and the courts for the State of Tennessee

Past instructor to the Nashville Metropolitan Police Academy – Recruit and In-Service Courses of Intervention and Investigation of Domestic and Sexual Violence

Advisor-Trainer to the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

Past advisory board member to the Commissioner of Human Services to the State of Tennessee on Family Violence and Child Abuse

Former member of the National Advisory Board to the Department of Justice -Office of Victim’s of Crime on Law Enforcement Response to Family Violence

Featured in the U.S. Justice Department training film “Albuquerque Journal“. This training film, on family violence for field officers, is used in police department’s family violence shelters across the country.

Featured in the California Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) training film on Interviewing Techniques and Domestic Violence Victims

Subject of Dateline NBC’s segment titled “Cries for Help“. This news segment covered the subject of children victims of family violence.

Lt. Wynn has appeared on numerous other national television programs such as;

Lifetime Television series – Real Fear Real Crime – Bill Moyers – PBS, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Nickelodeon, Yorkshire (England) Television’s 3-D, NBC World News Tonight and ABC Evening