commentary by Patrick H. Moore
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Sage advice that is perhaps rarely followed. Here’s another maxim to live by: “Don’t be a stalker.” Just don’t, even if you have to move to another city or to a whole different country. Get help, therapy. Find someone you trust and let them bind and gag you until the impulse passes.
I say this because although I could be wrong, it is possible that here on All Things Crime Blog we may have a reader or two who – given the right unfortunate set of circumstances – could conceivably succumb to the stalking impulse.
So (as Neil Young once said), “Please take my advice.” Do not stalk.
But because I try to be a realist, I’m painfully aware that there are degrees of malfeasance. Therefore, if you feel compelled to stalk, you may get away with it up to a point if you gird your loins and make your will like iron and follow these simple rules.
Rule No. 1:
Under no circumstances, go to your victim’s residence. Just don’t. That way not only will it be much tougher for your victim to call the police on you, but you won’t try to enter your victim’s house illicitly or illegally, which of course can be disastrous and can result at worst in death, but will more likely result in your victim taking out a restraining order which in turn can lead to you being arrested, which is probably not what you want.
Rule No. 2:
Never phone your victim at home. Just don’t. If you must phone your victim, phone them at work. That will piss them off mightily, which although hardly the same as them looking into your eyes and telling you in all sincerity that they will love you forever, it could be seen as being better than nothing. A stalker must accept whatever small victories he or she can obtain.
That’s really it as far as rules are concerned. Follow these two simple rules and it’s just possible you will not end up dead or under arrest.
A young California woman named Genoveva Nunez-Figueroa did not follow the simple rule that states, “Never stalk your victim at his or her house.” Her failure to comply with this simple wisdom did not result in her death but did result in such a catastrophe that for a few brief moments she may have wished she was dead. Genoveva’s fall from grace has been reported by numerous media sources and a series of striking images is readily available. Here’s what happened according to Amy Powell and the ABC7 news staff:
A 28-year-old woman rescued from a chimney at a Thousand Oaks home was allegedly trying to break into the home of a man she had met online.
(Ms. Powell says “allegedly” but Genoveva virtually had to be attempting to break into the house for reasons that become quite obvious as the story progresses.)
Residents in the 1900 block of Woodside Drive reported hearing the sound of a woman crying in the area at about 5:45 a.m.
A neighbor phoned the occupant of the house, a man identified only as Lawrence, and informed him that someone appeared to be stuck in his chimney. He in turn contacted the authorities which apparently resulted in both law enforcement and the fire department ultimately ending up at the house. When the deputies got there they found Genoveva trapped inside the chimney.
TRAPPED INSIDE THE CHIMNEY!
This poor female stalker was so desperate to get at her victim, a gentlemen whom she’d met online and had gone out with a few times before he’d broken off their relationship, that she actually tried to invade his house through his chimney as if she was the magical Mr. Claus or a 19th century chimney sweep desperate for a warm hearth.
Ventura County Fire Department and Urban Search and Rescue members had to dismantle the chimney in order to get Nunez-Figueroa out. She was lubricated with dish soap prior to being hoisted out, Ventura County Fire Capt. Mike Lindbery said via Twitter.
In an interview, Captain Lindbery explains that they “dismantled the chimney” with common household tools such as hammers, pliers and screwdrivers.
The sight of Genoveva, who appears to be a slim woman, being finally pulled out of chimney by two strong men is a never-to-be-forgotten sight. Imagine how humiliated she must have felt?
She “was conscious upon being extricated and was transported to a hospital for an evaluation,” Lindbery said.
This situation is resplendent with irony. Lawrence, the resident, was not even home when poor Genoveva got stuck. Therefore, even if she had made it down the chimney successfully, she would not have been able to confront the “man who had apparently broken her heart.”
When interviewed, Lawrence said he had met Genoveva online and had gone out with her a few times but had recently ended the relationship.
Oddly enough, this was the second time Lawrence found Genoveva on his roof. Two weeks ago he spotted her up there, perhaps preparing to plunge into the chimney. He called the authorities but by the time they got there, she had disappeared.
“I’m going to be a little more cautious of who I invite into my house now,” said Lawrence…
Sometime after being taken to the hospital, poor Genoveva was arrested for illegal entry and providing false information to a peace officer.
* * * * *
The moral of this story is simple. Do not stalk no matter how strong your compulsion is. Genoveva’s fate is merely an extreme example of the serious repercussions that can result from stalking.
Unfortunately, we humans tend to be obsessive characters and no matter how much sage advice I hand out, confirmed stalkers are unlikely to listen. In fact, sooner or later we’re likely to hear the sad tale of another poor stalker who is heard screaming, trapped inside the sewer line, bound and determined to swim upstream to the toilet bowl like the desperate junkie in Trainspotting. Do not stalk!