Man Charged With Stalking Twin Cities Woman
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 37-year-old California man is accused of mailing threatening letters and stalking a Minnesota woman through her Myspace account, according to charges filed Tuesday in Dakota County District Court.
Michael Lee Everly was charged with one felony count of pattern of stalking conduct.
According to a criminal complaint, Apple Valley Police were contacted on July 6 by a woman identified only as E.L., saying that her mother had found an envelope in a small brown box at her front door of her residence. The envelope had the victim's mother's name on it and the box had the victim's name on it with a note saying that her mother "should open the box in front of you."
When the victim learned that the box was from Everly, she became very afraid and worried because he had been stalking her for a long time, the complaint states.
The box had a cell phone inside, and the envelope had a copy of a two-year restraining order against Everly that the victim had filed and expired on July 6. The items also appeared to have been hand-delivered, the complaint states.
Everly reportedly traveled to Minnesota from California on the day the restraining order was filed back in 2009, and he went to each of her last three known addresses. The two worked together at the California Conservation Corporation in the summer of 1994 and December of 1995. She was 18 when she met Everly, who was 21 at the time. The woman left California in December of 1995.
She didn't speak to him for 13 years until 2008, when he found her online through Myspace. The two exchanged messages for about three weeks, but the complaint states she decided to cut off all communication with him because of his behavior.
After being ignored by the woman for some time, Every called local police to do welfare checks on the woman. He called for several well-being checks and sent the woman several more messages through Myspace. He also proceeded to send several letters to residences where she might at, according the complaint. She responded with one letter telling him to stop trying to contact her.
Everly also traveled to the victim's father's home in July and was eventually tracked down police at a court hearing after the victim had filed another restraining order against him.
He faces up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $20,000 if convicted.
