The Wrong Stalker
Shawn Stewart was arrested for allegedly stalking his drug counselor, who claimed to fear for her life. Despite her accusations and evidence in the form of emails and texts, the authenticity of these communications was not verified by law enforcement. The case raises questions about the thoroughness of the investigation and the reliance on unverified evidence.
- ▪Shawn Stewart was arrested for stalking his drug counselor.
- ▪The counselor provided emails and texts as evidence of the stalking.
- ▪Law enforcement did not verify the authenticity of the emails before the arrest.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Shawn Stewart was arrested for a dangerous infatuation with his drug counselor. She had proof, in the form of emails and texts, and said she feared for her life. But nothing was as it seemed: Three days later, minutes after Bridget turned in another email to the sheriff’s office, a deputy phoned her. She told him: “He is stalking me and I fear for my life.” The cops decided they could wait no longer. That was the night they headed to Shawn’s parents’ apartment. In a statement justifying the arrest that night, deputies wrote that Shawn violated the restraining order “at least six times,” and was meticulously tracking his victim, knowing her location “constantly.” They didn’t mention that they hadn’t checked the authenticity of the emails from Shawn provided by Bridget.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Longreads.
