As parents, it’s our responsibility to keep our children safe and away from people who would do them harm. A large part of the role is teaching children to be aware of the dangers they face in everyday life – be that when online or outside when physically interacting with other human beings.
One dad was forced to take matters into his own hands when he found out that his 15-year-old daughter was being stalked by a stranger on the internet. After finding out that a man was stalking his 15-year-old daughter (sending pictures and other things over Facebook), this dad knew he had to do something about it. He went to the police and showed them the messages, before hatching a plan of his own.
He had been tracking his daughter’s phone for some time through the app Family Time and so had been privy to the fact that a stranger, Jeremy Dewayne Gibson, was trying to convince her to meet up with him. After realizing that Gibson was planning on coming to his family home, the dad set up a sting operation involving a tent and a surveillance camera. He lured Gibson in by saying that his daughter was waiting for him in the tent.
It didn’t take long before the camera caught something to chill the father’s blood. Just as planned, the stalker arrived a little past midnight and approached the tent. Only, it wasn’t the man’s daughter in the tent. Rather, a woman was lying in wait… and she wasn’t alone. The dad and two other men were hiding close by, waiting for Gibson to move in.
As he did so the men leaped from their spot and tackled him to the ground, binding his hands and feet with cable ties. The police thereafter hailed the sting operation, stating that it had been executed professionally and properly.
What to do if you encounter a stalker:
Report to the police what you have experienced. Try to document all contact. Save SMS, messages on your answering machine, emails, social media messages, letters, etc. Tell people that you feel threatened. Be very clear that you don’t want contact with that person.
Avoid all contact – even forms of rejection can lead to renewed interest on the part of the stalker. You may need to change both your phone number and email address. Be careful and think about security first when using social media. Remember that you can apply for a contact restraining order via the police.