Alleged judge stalkers made obscene phone calls, sent explicit photos; judges live in fear, cop says
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Judge Vonda Evans of Wayne County, Michigan, says a stalker sent her graphic messages and photos of his genitalia. Sixteen judges in Broward County, Florida, received obscene phone calls and threatening letters by a man calling himself their biggest nightmare.
Two alleged stalkers have been identified, but only one has been arrested. The Sun Sentinel, WSVN and Local 10 have stories on the Florida case, while the Detroit News, Fox 2 Detroit and Click On Detroit have stories on the Detroit case.
In Florida, police arrested 53-year-old Todd Watson, a convicted drug dealer who was released from prison in March and lives with his mother. He had been charged with five counts of stalking and 10 counts of making obscene phone calls.
Watson allegedly wrote one judge: The two biggest problems you have is 1. I’m breathing 2. I’m free. Sincerely, Todd Watson.” He allegedly wrote another judge, “What’s it like to be living knowing full well you’re living on borrowed time. That you’re going to die in prison.”
Police say Watson knocked on the door of one judge’s chambers and tried to barge in. The judge hit a panic button, bringing deputies to his office. He showed up in another judge’s courtroom, but was escorted out when he refused to stand when the judge took the bench, police allege.
Broward Sheriff’s Detective Joseph Kessling said at a hearing after Watson’s arrest that he has never seen anybody so relentless. “I have judges that are literally afraid to go out into the halls,” Kessling said. “The judges, their wives, their children … they’re living in fear pretty much on a daily basis.”
The Michigan judge told media outlets that her experience with the stalker left her feeling shaken and fearful.
“I felt victimized,” Evans told Fox 2 Detroit. “I saw him everywhere. I saw him when I walked my dog. It was so bad I couldn’t go to work today.”
Evans first realized she was being stalked when the man tweeted a photo of his genitalia to her, one of multiple images sent via social media. Later she checked her filtered messages on Facebook and learned the man had been trying to contact her since July 5. He told her he wanted to comfort her, have a barbecue with her and make her scream.
Evans contacted police, who learned the alleged stalker has mental health issues and is living with his brother in Atlanta. The alleged stalker does not have a criminal record and no access to a car or cellphone.
Evans told the Detroit News that she doesn’t believe the man is a danger, and Atlanta police have agreed to watch him. “I felt confident enough to say, ‘Let’s monitor this,’” Evans said.
Evans said she went public with her experience because many people who are stalked suffer in silence. “I’m now on a one-woman crusade,” she told the Detroit News. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.”
