Stalking victim filed protection order against accused Hartselle man
By David Gambino
For the Enquirer
The victim of a Hartselle man charged with second-degree aggravated stalking and third-degree burglary on Thursday had an active protection from abuse order against the accused, according to the Hartselle Police Department.
Sawyer Thomas McLemore, 34, was booked into Morgan County Jail after police said they investigated a report of a burglarized residence.
Morgan County court records show the victim of the burglary filed a protection from abuse order against McLemore on July 24 claiming the two previously had a dating relationship.
The petition alleges McLemore stalked the victim, trespassed on her property, vandalized her vehicle, and made her afraid that she would be seriously injured.
In a handwritten elaboration, the victim said McLemore had been contacting and harassing her for a couple of weeks after she broke up with him. On one occasion, the victim claims she arrived home to find her door open and her bedroom lights on.
The petition also claims McLemore left flowers at the victim’s residence and threatened her date when she went out with someone else. After staying the night with a friend in late July, the victim says she woke up to find her vehicle with a broken windshield and slashed tire.
“The defendant stated that I stayed the night with (the friend) and that he saw me going to his house — nobody knew where I was going,” the petition reads.
McLemore continued to “blow up” the victim’s phone, according to the petition. The next morning, between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., the victim says she woke to a noise outside:
“I heard two pops and was scared to go outside to check the vehicle, woke up and saw my car had two more popped tires and my windshield shattered more.”
The victim filed a police report and took photos of the damage, according to the petition. She also said she saved all messages and blocked McLemore on all social media. Despite the block, she alleges he continued to make fake profiles in order to view her accounts.
“The defendant will not leave me alone, following me around town and driving by my residence,” the petition reads.
A protection order barring McLemore from going within 300 feet of the victim, her residence or her place of employment was signed by Morgan County Circuit Court Judge Charles Elliott on July 24.
Court documents show both parties met before the judge for a hearing on the protection order on Aug. 10. A resolution was not reached, and a final hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11.
The protection order was ruled to remain in effect until then.
McLemore remained in Morgan County Jail on Friday in lieu of a $40,000 bond, according to jail records.
