BY G. ERNEST WRIGHT
RIVERSIDE—La Sierra, a young woman, commutes to her local college every day like most women her age. Unlike most young women however, she has a stalker. The middle-aged man stalking her, who moonlights as an English teacher, prefers to be addressed by his AIM screen-name, Educate Truth.
He first noticed her at church and observed her musical preferences. She had a keen interest in Christian rock. But it was La Sierra’s conversation with a fellow church member that captivated him.
“She shared her beliefs on creation, science and Genesis 1. From her conversation and musical inclinations, I could tell she had a naughty rebellious streak which was enticing at the same time. I had to learn more but I obviously didn’t want to creep her out by approaching her directly. So, I decided to follow her to school-without her knowledge of course- and track her.”
Educate Truth began a daily routine of observing her every move. He bought the latest binoculars which allowed him to stalk her from a distance. It was on one such occasion in the library when he slipped a GPS tracking device in her purse. He could now keep track of her from the comfort of his room or his car. But he wanted more.
“Well, ‘stalking’ is such a strong word. I’d prefer, ‘investigating’ or ‘doing my homework’. There’s nothing wrong with speaking to her friends to learn more about her- her likes, dislikes, hobbies, her political affiliations, religious leanings or if she has any subversive beliefs,” continued Educate Truth.
These anecdotes which helped him gain a better picture of La Sierra although he still couldn’t muster the courage to have a conversation with her. Educate Truth continued to monitor La Sierra, discreetly slinking around the school, trying hard not to get noticed. Not content with talking to her friends and following her around, Educate Truth created a Facebook profile of a college-aged girl in an effort to befriend La Sierra. When she spurned his online advances, he grew more desperate.
“I created a blog to share my thoughts about her since I needed an outlet to vent all of my intense feelings. I also decided to track her movements, post pictures of her and her class syllabi and noteworthy events involving her.”
When asked for his primary motivation for following La Sierra, Educate Truth became defensive. He claims that his purposes are honest and noble.
“I’m doing her a service by looking out for her interests. I want to make sure that she’s on the right path, that she’s not going astray and that she’s got the right influences. I have to protect her from destroying herself with her beliefs and practices. I don’t care whether or not she wants my protection. I care for her so much that I take it upon myself to track her every step.”
Driven to desperation, Educate Truth rummaged through her trash. One night in particular, his desire to be with her steered him to her laundromat.
“She slipped away from her laundry for a few precious moments to get some change. That gave me just the opportunity I craved to sift through her dirty laundry and smell her clothes. Just checking if her clothing conforms to cultural norms, nothing sinister.”
Some of La Sierra’s friends expressed concern at Educate Truth’s suspicious behavior. Larry Geraty commented, “I became wary once I discovered his depraved blog. I’m not sure what he intends to accomplish by following her around but this is bordering on stalking and that’s usually more destructive than protective. Seriously, his obsession is pretty unhealthy, this guy needs a life.”
