Stalking in the Rio Grande Valley

MCALLEN, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — Victim’s advocates say stalking is a severe problem in the Rio Grande Valley and a recent case put the spotlight on it once again.

Last week Janet Vichique was dead in the front seat of a car with several gunshot wounds. Detectives say she was killed by Fortunato Barrera Jr. as her child sat in the backseat. Two weeks earlier, Barrera had been arrested for stalking Vichique.

Angels of Love Victim Advocate Jumairy Campos says she does not know if stalking is a cultural thing, but she does know it is something she encounters frequently.

“From five clients I get per week, maybe two of them involve stalking; especially, from their aggressor,” Campos said. “A lot of times, we get some that they might not even know they are being tracked via GPS in their car or phone, or even if the aggressor has access to the email you can be tracked through there.”

Campos says she has helped victims who had been stalked to their offices.

She adds that some women even stop watching television, listening to music, or even going to the grocery store alone all due to the fear of their aggressors.

Angels of Love Executive Director Veronica Perez says stalking traumatizes victims.

“It does affect them because they become paranoid and worried about themselves and others that are with them,” Perez said. “Some even start taking action on their own behalf, which is because they are scared and they become nervous all the time.”

Perez says the only way to put an end to stalking is to report it to the police. Collecting all the evidence of the aggressor violating a protective order also helps them in their case.

The upper valley is not the only part affected by this problem. In Brownsville, the organization Friendship of Women also helps victims.

The organization’s legal advocate Sandy Paredes says that once a protective order is placed the victim should never be left alone. Paredes refers to this as the “critical time” when the aggressor seeks vengeance.

“A stalker won’t stop. A stalker will continue, continue, continue. Even if he breaks the protective order, he will continue,” Paredes said. “It continues until he gets arrested or sent to prison.”

Paredes refers to her clients as “survivors” due to the ordeals they have faced. She also says stalking cases have also gone up in recent years.

Although men can be victims, she says most of the aggressors are men.

If you are suffering from stalking, contact Angels of Love in McAllen at (956) 972-0685 or visit them at 409 W Nolana Ave. and in Brownsville contact Friendship of Women Inc. at (956) 544-7412 or visit them at 95 E. Price Rd.

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