Posted: 5:24 PM Feb 22, 2013
Reporter: Taylor Temby

Man accused of following, harassing women

Multiple women are reporting encounters with the same man and white truck, some where he's followed them in his car, others where he's attempted to hold their children.

Many of the women KKCO 11 News spoke to had similar stories. They were leaving a grocery store or other public place, then a stranger approached them, asking questions and then attempting to follow them in his truck.

February 8th started like a normal day for Stephanie Bloch-Sharp. She was meeting another woman at the 29 road Safeway to exchange items from the Western Slope Classified Ads Facebook page.

"I meet ladies here on a weekly basis,” she said.

This time was different, though, when a stranger approached her and her husband in their car.

"He looked at my husband and he said, 'This is my wife, this is my wife,' and my husband said 'She's my wife,'" she said.

Things quickly changed, and before she knew it, Bloch-Sharp found herself with a stranger who wouldn't leave her alone.

"I got out of my car to go talk to the lady and he followed me over there," she said.

Bloch-Sharp and her husband left soon after, but they weren't alone. The stranger proceeded to follow them in his truck all the way to the police station.

"They said they could give him a harassment ticket but they couldn't take him into jail," Bloch-Sharp said.

Police say they couldn’t arrest the man because his actions didn't warrant an arrest. Because it was an isolated incident, he could face a harassment charge instead of a felony charge like stalking.

The GJPD didn’t know there were other similar incidents involving this man, because few have been reported. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office says it received one report of a man matching the same description with the same truck showing up at homes and knocking on doors.

“The man did not enter her home and didn't do anything criminal or illegal, but was very suspicious to the point she reported it to law enforcement," MCSO spokesperson Heather Benjamin said.

The MCSO says it's crucial people with these types of encounters call 9-1-1 immediately, and those using sites like Facebook for buying and selling like many of the victims choose their meeting places wisely.

"Let’s find out what this suspicious person is doing and what they're intentions are before they execute a crime," Benjamin said.

Benjamin said those buying and selling products through websites should always meet during the day at a neutral, public site. If people are uncomfortable, she says people can always use local law enforcement parking lots to do their business.

She also noted people should alert someone where they’re going and who they’re meeting just in case. Even though it could be nothing, it could be something and authorities would rather people be safe than sorry.

Police say they are now working with the sheriff's office to determine whether or not this man is a threat to the community.

Anyone with more information or an incident to report is encouraged to contact authorities.

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