In one of the strangest and most odd cases of stalking, this former NASCAR star and champion finally saw the first throes of justice prevail as investigators uncovered the person they believe has been tormenting his family for more than a year.
Tony Stewart may not be racing on the track anymore, but he certainly still has a massive fan base and with such a prominent position in the public eye, there are bound to be some people who take their fandom a little too far.
According to a report by RTV6 ABC, a woman has been arrested for multiple felony charges in relation to what police believe was a lengthy campaign to intimidate and harass Stewart and his family.
68-year-old Kathi Russell of Cape Coral, Florida allegedly began stalking and committing “terroristic mischief” in March 2016, after Stewart didn’t give her an autograph at a race and she became angered.
The criminal charges were filed last week and explain in their probable cause affidavit that Russell made hundreds of phone calls to Stewart, his family, his sponsors, and other associates over the course of 19 months. She, allegedly, would call his mother and sister at all times of day and night as part of this stalking campaign.
Russell is also accused of phoning in a false tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration claiming that Stewart’s plane was harboring a large quantity of illicit substances. Upon landing, the plane was searched and the tip was deemed false.
FOX59 reports that investigators claim that Russell made more than 300 separate calls from six different phone numbers and she took “significant steps” to conceal her identity – employing various computer programs and software to mask her phone number.
Earlier this year, Stewart spoke out about the harassment to the DEA saying that Russell called at all times of day “with no purpose other than to harass” and even stated she called early on race days which disrupted his sleep and brought on additional stress and anxiety.
On Tuesday, November 21, 2017, Russell was taken into custody on felony charges of stalking, terroristic mischief, and intimidation.
Watch the full news report in the video below and let us know what you think about this in the comments.