Windy Sydney

All emphasis is mine...

Janice Peterson - Daily Herald

PROVO -- A Brigham Young University student was arrested on attempted kidnapping and assault charges Thursday after he allegedly used a stun gun on a woman and tried to handcuff her.

Police say Stetson Hallam, 20, was the 19-year-old woman's home teacher in their LDS ward, and the two lived in the same apartment complex south of BYU. Provo police Sgt. Mark Crosby said Hallam had pursued the woman romantically, but she did not have any interest in him. He was persistent in trying to date her, Crosby said, to the point where she felt "creeped out" by Hallam.

Look at this sleeze-ball! He was called to be a home teacher by his bishop and fell in love with a woman. He probably felt the spirit telling him that they were destined to be together for eternity. What do you want to bet? After all, he's a priesthood holder and he can get promptings from God, right?

Where was the spirit warning this woman that she needed to GTF away from this weirdo? Where was the spirit when he was "called by God" to be her home teacher? What kind of promptings did this asshole's bishop get when he called this guy for this position, and who did he get these promptings from??

According to a police affidavit, Hallam repeatedly contacted the woman, telling her he had a gift for her. She put off meeting with Hallam until she could have a roommate present, police say, and she was successful until Tuesday.

Around 3 p.m. that day, Hallam contacted the woman and asked to meet with her, according to the affidavit. She reportedly told him she could not because she would be working until 9:30 p.m., and she said he could leave the gift at her apartment. However, when she arrived at her apartment complex, she saw Hallam standing outside and felt he was waiting for her, according to the affidavit. She went to her apartment through a side entrance, but allegedly found Hallam waiting for her at her door.

Hallam allegedly convinced the woman to come with him to a common laundry room in the basement of the complex, where he told her one of his roommates had helped him set up a scavenger hunt for the woman's gift. The woman reportedly told police she could see no signs of other people present and became suspicious.

Gifts from home teachers are nothing new. They are usually little cards or photos of Jesus with candy attached, or bags of candy with scripture verses from the Book of Mormon... even the scavenger hunt thing is believable. When I was in young womens, this was promoted as just a good time with a healthy interaction between the young men and women. However, these are grown ass adults. A scavenger hunt? This is BYU for you... stunting the ability for these people to grow up!

I have had home teachers and even an over zealous young women's leader wait for me at my place until I got home from work back in the day. It was creepy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming Mormonism for this guy's behavior... but I do think that the woman was too lenient on the man because of their religion. You will see why in a minute...

According to the affidavit, Hallam told the woman the gift was "junk art" and was located in a bin underneath a table in the room. The woman reportedly described the bin to police as five feet long by two feet wide and three feet tall, with a lockable lid and handles. Hallam reportedly told the woman some of her gift was Easter candy, which he had left in his car. He then allegedly left the room, during which time the woman did not approach the bin, believing it may be part of a practical joke, according to police.

When Hallam returned, he allegedly encouraged the woman to open the bin and pulled it out from under the table to alleviate her fear, according to the affidavit. The woman then reportedly opened the bin and found it to be empty.

At this point, Hallam allegedly produced a stun gun, a handheld rectangular device with two metal prongs on the end. He allegedly pressed the device against the woman's arm and she felt a surge pass through her body, according to the affidavit. Police say the surge incapacitated the woman and caused her to collapse to the floor, at which point Hallam pinned her to the ground.

Hmmm.... interesting, isn't it?

Seriously... my intuition would have been screaming at me to get the fuck out of there and she let him in? She went to the laundry room? She opened the box?

I'm not trying to poke fun at her or even claim that she was stupid... I can't imagine the terror she was going through at the moment. Please don't think I'm trying to be cold and mean. I'm just trying to make the point that the spirit wasn't really protecting her that day... was it?

The woman reportedly became frightened for her life and did not know what Hallam's true intentions were, according to the affidavit. She allegedly began screaming and fighting Hallam, who police say placed his hand over her mouth. He also allegedly produced a pair of handcuffs and put one of the rings on the woman's left hand. While he was applying the handcuffs, police say, Hallam's hand slipped and his finger went into the woman's mouth. She allegedly bit down on his finger until he let her go and apologized, claiming it was all an April Fool's joke.

The woman was able to get away and reported the incident to police April 8, according to police. Crosby said he did not know why the report was delayed, but a delay is common with this type of allegations. When she reported the incident, burn marks were still visible on her arm, as was bruising on her wrist, Crosby said.

"Several days later, we're still able to have signs," he said.

Police conducted a search on Hallam's room and car late Thursday night, but Crosby said he does not know what was found. Crosby said police were interested in finding the bin the girl described, which was not an item usually found in the laundry room. Although Crosby said Hallam never tried to force the woman into the bin or trick her into getting inside, he said it is still an important piece of evidence given the circumstances.

I would love to know why she didn't report the incident when it happened... did she go to her bishop first? Did she talk about it with friends or other leaders at either church or BYU? Did they ask her to delay the reporting?

I could be wrong here... but they have done this sort of thing in regards to other criminal behavior before. Especially when it includes sexual crimes and priesthood holders. Scout leaders, bishops, and others were given a "repent and all is well," free pass. Were they trying to help this guy?

"His whole premise was wanting her to open that box," he said.

Hallam was arrested Thursday night and booked into the Utah County Jail, where he is being held on a $5,000 bond on third-degree felony charges of aggravated assault and attempted kidnapping. According to the affidavit, police found a bite mark on the middle finger of Hallam's left hand.

Crosby said police are interviewing Hallam's roommates, but are uncertain which roommate he may have been referring to with the scavenger hunt because Hallam would not speak with police.

"He's not cooperating with us," Crosby said.

Crosby said Hallam does not appear to have any criminal history, and police have found no evidence so far of any history of mental illness.

"That's something that we're going to follow up on," he said.

Carri Jenkins, spokeswoman for BYU, said she had little information about the incident Friday. However, she confirmed that Hallam is a sophomore at the university. She said the university's Honor Code Office will now begin its own review of the incident to determine what actions should be taken. If it is determined that a person is a danger to the community, he or she may be banned from campus, but Jenkins said she does not know what decision will be made in this case.

"Every case is handled on an individual basis," she said.

He was arrested for aggrivated assault and attempted kidnapping. If the police have grounds to arrest him and hold him on bond, what other kinds of evidence do you need to know he broke the fucking honor code?

Come on!

The guy is a menace who was probably planning on kidnapping that woman and taking her away in that ridiculous box of his!

Yes, lets pray on it and make sure we are making the right decision. We need to make sure he's a real danger to the Lord's University before booting his ass off campus... after all, he's a priesthood holder, right?

Personally, I'd like to find him and wipe that smug look off his face... unfortunately for me, I have too much self control for that kind of thing... something he might want to google and do research on: self control.

What a mess.