A couple of weeks ago on Regional Radio, we highlighted the increasing occurrences of stalking in domestic abuse situations. 

Andrea Kocher is the Executive Director of Willow Tree Missions in Piatt County and explains stalking can have short and long-term impacts on the victim. She notes short-term behavior changes include isolating themselves so friends and family do not get stalked or changing jobs and routes they take every day.

According to Kocher, roughly 13 million individuals are victims of stalking and roughly one in three women are victims of a stalker. She indicates you're most likely to be stalked between the ages of 18 and 24.

Kocher is not only seeing an increase in cases of stalking lately but she is also noticing victims downplaying the situation. She hopes to raise awareness that these behaviors are not normal nor acceptable.

Stalking and harassment can sometimes be hard to differentiate but Kocher says stalking has four telltale signs that cross over from harassment to stalking.

Kocher hopes if you suspect you may be a victim of a stalker, contact Willow Tree Missions to receive help and talk through your situation. You can find out more about Willow Tree Missions by finding them on Facebook or visit willowtreemissions.org.