Alabama man accused of stalking, firing shot

A little over a week ago, there was apparently an early-morning loud noise outside an Alabama family’s home. The husband said the noise woke him just past 5 a.m.

He told police that as he looked around the house he shares with his wife, a former college professor, and their children, he found a bullet hole over the front door. Three days later, police arrested a former student and charged him with stalking, making terroristic threats, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony and aggravated assault.

The 31-year-old suspect lives far north of Dothan in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. The alleged incident was in nearby Hoover.

The former college student was also charged with sending harassing communications and discharging a firearm in the street.

Police said a spent bullet was found in the house’s foyer. They speculated that it was shot by the suspect from a rifle at a bedroom where the former professor’s children sleep.

The husband told a newspaper that the suspect has been stalking his wife for a decade. The former student apparently took a class taught by her at an Alabama university.

The husband claimed the suspect had called his wife the day before the incident, making threats.

According to the newspaper, a neighbor’s security camera recorded an image of a vehicle that may belong to the suspect.

While it might be tempting for a suspect in a similar situation to call a newspaper to respond to comments and accusations, the better approach is to talk to a criminal defense attorney experienced in protecting clients’ rights and interests.

Source: NorthFulton.com, “Stalker arrested after firing at victim,” Feb. 3, 2014