A 30-year-old West Virginia man has been charged with stalking a 13-year-old Waukesha girl he allegedly became obsessed with through an online blog documenting her medical illness.
Shannon C. Bailey was charged April 3 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with felony stalking, knowingly violating a harassment restraining order, resisting an officer and obstructing an officer.
According to court records, he is currently being held in Waukesha County Jail on a $100,000 cash bond. He could face five years and nine months in prison and $40,000 in fines if convicted.
Stalking allegations
According to the criminal complaint, Bailey was seen twice by residents in a subdivision near Highway 18 and Bluemound Road on the morning of March 31.
Waukesha police were advised that a woman, who will not be identified to protect the victim's identity, had contacted police about Bailey. She said in the complaint that Bailey was stalking her 13-year-old daughter through social media and the man had a history of harassing the family.
Her daughter suffered from a liver disease, she explained, and Bailey had contacted the family in late 2012 through a wellness blog they had set up for the girl. He was blocked from the site, but he continued to email the family asking about the girl's condition.
In April 2013, Bailey allegedly showed up at the family's church in Oak Creek, she said in the complaint. He was arrested and ticketed for harassment by Oak Creek police, the complaint states.
The man also showed up at a hospital where the girl was being treated, according to the complaint, and was escorted off the promises by hospital staff.
Since that incident, the family has monitored the suspect's activity through Facebook, the woman told police.
According to the complaint, Bailey told authorities that he had sold all his possessions and moved from West Virginia so that he could be with the girl, though he denied having any sexual desire for her.
Not willing to comply
When an officer made contact with Bailey and told him to leave the area, he responded with several Bible quotes and told the officer in the complaint that he had every right to do what he believed God had told him to do in his heart.
The officer told him to leave or he would be arrested for loitering, the complaint states.
The girl's mother obtained a restraining order against Bailey and the man was served the order later that day, according to the complaint, which added that he ripped up the order in front of police and said there was nothing anyone could do to stop him.
Officers again spotted Bailey in the neighborhood at 7:40 a.m. on April 1. Two officers approached the man and he allegedly became irate, the complaint states. The officers subdued the man with a stun gun and he was placed under arrest.
"This isn't gonna change anything," he allegedly told police at the time.
Bailey later refused to exit the holding cell at the Waukesha Police Station, according to the complaint. Officers again used a stun gun to subdue the man and he was transported to the county jail.
Bailey was expected to appear at a court hearing on Wednesday, April 9. He told a court commissioner during his initial appearance that he was not sure if he wished to retain a lawyer, according to court records.