When Kelly* woke up to an acquaintance sexually assaulting her after a night out with friends, she thought the worst had already happened. She sought medical attention, reported the attack to law enforcement and reached out to Shelter House to work with an advocate and begin healing. What Kelly didn’t know was that her attacker would become her stalker.
The man would drive by Kelly’s house at all hours and show up at her job – she worked in retail. When she tried to resume a normal life and go out with friends, he always seemed to show up. Kelly told her advocate who then worked with her and legal services to get a judge to sign a six-month sexual violence injunction. Once the injunction was granted, Kelly was able to breathe a little easier.
The day after the injunction expired, Kelly’s attacker once again made his presence known. He would watch her at work and follow her wherever she drove. While awaiting another court date, this time for a stalking injunction, Kelly took the advice of her Shelter House advocate and had security escort her to and from her car at work and drove to well lit places with security cameras when she was followed. Law enforcement was able to pull footage from the cameras proving he had stalked her. The evidence also helped Kelly get the stalking injunction and eventually led to the military confining her attacker to the base where he was stationed at the time.
With the help of her advocate and a self-defense class offered by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Kelly is feeling safe and confident again.