Show full transcript 0:43 you'll have friendly, knowledgeable people 0:45 to help you with everything, 0:47 from applying and financial aid 0:49 to tutoring and career development. 0:51 At Southern New Hampshire University, 0:53 knowledge can be life changing. 0:54 Get started at snhu.edu slash betrayal. 0:59 That's snhu.edu slash betrayal. 1:03 What if you could save up for that new car or vacation 1:06 just by buying the stuff you're already buying? 1:09 With the OnePay banking app, 1:10 you earn 3% cashback on up to $150 1:14 in monthly spending in categories you choose. 1:16 So it's easy to save. 1:18 For me, I'd love to save up for a really nice vacation 1:21 and maybe put some money aside for a new car. 1:23 It's always nice having something to look forward to, and knowing you're actually making 1:28 progress towards those bigger goals feels really good. 1:32 So what are you saving for? 1:34 Download the OnePay app or visit OnePay.com for banking that gives you more for what 1:38 matters. 1:39 OnePay is a financial technology company, not a bank. 1:42 Banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank members FDIC. 1:46 Cashback is earned as points. 1:47 Go to onepay.com forward slash rewards dash terms for redemption options and additional details 1:54 CBS Tuesday from the executive producer of the pit comes a new vision of elite teamwork with New York Swagger and an all-new 2:02 CBS original and CIS New York 2:05 LL Cool J stars as legendary agent Sam Hanna returning to his hometown of New York City 2:12 where he teams up with Scott Kahn, Jennifer Beals, 2:15 and a crew of the very best to tackle high-stakes missions 2:18 in the city that never sleeps. 2:20 Don't miss the new series, NCIS New York, 2:22 Tuesday at nine, eight central, 2:24 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. 2:27 There's a version of you that only shows up in the shower, 2:30 no performance, no audience, 2:32 just in your mind working through everything 2:33 you haven't said out loud yet. 2:35 It's usually where the truth surfaces first, 2:38 but for a lot of people, 2:39 that same headspace gets taken over by money's stress instead. 2:43 The bills, the numbers, the quiet worry 2:45 that shouldn't need daily attention. 2:47 That's exactly what Clarna's built to solve. 2:49 It's an everyday money partner. 2:51 A card, cash back, tools that manage the spending, 2:54 taking the complicated financial thinking 2:56 off of people's plates, 2:58 so their minds finally free to wander. 3:00 For you to get to the truth, 3:02 to everything else worth working through. 3:05 Get your money sorted with Clarna 3:06 so you can think about, well, anything else. 3:09 California resident loans made or arranged 3:11 pursuant to California Finance Law License, 3:14 and MLS number 1353190. 3:18 Klarna balance account required to be eligible 3:20 for cashback points, limitations, 3:22 terms and conditions apply. 3:26 We've gotten a pounding at the door, 3:29 and I answered right away, 3:31 and I saw multiple squad cars with the lights on, 3:35 And the officer that I had spoken to was like, 3:40 we need to come in. 3:42 One of the police officers asked me to sit down 3:45 and they explained that Drew was holed up 3:51 in the bathroom with a knife. 3:54 And I'm like, what are you talking about? 3:57 I am freaking out from that 3:59 because I'm like inches away 4:00 from the possibility of somebody dying. 4:02 I'm Andrei Gunning and this is Betrayal Season 6, Episode 3, Probable 4:22 Cause. 4:24 In our last episode, the harassment campaign against Carl, his boyfriend Drew and their 4:29 friend Paul reached new heights. 4:32 Carl's ex-boyfriend denied he was behind the attacks. 4:36 Even after being questioned by a mutual friend and by his probation officer, Adams swore 4:42 he didn't do anything wrong. 4:44 Carl thought he was lying, that he was probably back to drinking. 4:49 And that was the perfect setup for the real perpetrator. 4:53 The real person behind the harassment? 4:56 He was someone who'd been there all along, serving as a shoulder to cry on, and doing 5:02 everything he could to place the blame on Adam. 5:05 I knew Adam was getting out of jail so I wanted to pose as Adam because it was an easy scapegoat." 5:14 The man you just heard, you've actually met him already. 5:22 He was Carl's best friend, Paul Augustine. Now you know the truth, but here's the thing. 5:32 During the escalating campaign of harassment in 2023, 5:37 Carl, Drew, and police detectives had no idea whatsoever. 5:42 Everyone was focused on Carl's ex-boyfriend, Adam, 5:46 which was Paul's intention all along, 5:49 and Paul played the part of the concerned friend perfectly. 5:53 To Carl and Drew, he wasn't a suspect. 5:56 He was another victim of Adams. 5:58 Remember, Paul had also been receiving harassing texts. 6:03 Just realize that Carl's attempts to lie to you or whatever dude he's involved with at this point in his life is so beyond ridiculous. 6:12 Paul sent himself that message. It was an effective cover. He couldn't be the perpetrator if he was a victim. 6:20 With Paul, the harassment escalated over time, just as it did with Carl. 6:25 In November 2023, Paul received this text from an unknown number. 6:31 Someone's not going to make it out of this alive. 6:33 And if you're stupid and showing this message, it just might be you. 6:38 It was a direct threat, and Paul was completely freaked out. 6:42 He called me up, very shaken, crying on the phone and fearing for his own safety. 6:49 And when I heard him upset, it did deeply affect me. 6:54 Hearing Paul in distress only reinforced what Carl already believed. 6:59 They were victims of the same person, and they were in real danger. 7:05 The day that text came in, Carl told Paul he needed to go to the police, and he did. 7:12 Paul filed a police report of his own on November 13, 2023. 7:18 Since Paul lived outside of Kenosha, he needed to contact his local precinct, 7:22 An officer from Wauwatosa PD was sent to Paul's home to interview him. 7:28 That interaction was recorded on police body cam. 7:31 Nice to meet you. 7:33 Nice to meet you. 7:33 How's it going? 7:34 So, me and, okay, a couple of my other friends, they lived down in Kenosha, for a while we'd 7:41 been kind of harassed and we were like 99% sure that we know who the person is. 7:46 They were, you know, actually in jail for, what, about a year and a half or so. 7:53 And it was the ex-boyfriend of one of my friends. 7:57 Paul explained that he and his friend Carl, and Carl's new boyfriend, Drew, 8:02 had all been targets of the same man. 8:05 And after months of trying to ignore it, 8:07 the harassment had reached a fever pitch. 8:10 So, like, someone's not going to make it out of this alive. 8:13 Like, it's not directly saying, oh, I'm going to kill you, but it's the implication. 8:19 I think I would take that that way. 8:21 I think most people would. 8:22 It was a random phone number. 8:23 I can give you the phone number if that helps. 8:25 Yep, we have stuff that we can punch in phone numbers and see if they are assigned to somebody. 8:31 The issue of this is just a random generated number. 8:35 It's not going to show up as any problem. 8:37 Paul seemed particularly interested in how the police would be able to track down the 8:42 caller. 8:57 Paul nodded along with Officer Mills, but this was new information for Paul. 9:02 Paul. 9:03 Officer Mills said it would take a pretty serious threat like a domestic terror threat 9:08 to issue a search warrant. 9:10 And a search warrant would be the only surefire way to unmask the perpetrator. 9:16 So for the moment, the real identity of the person behind the chaos remained a secret. 9:24 Carl was relieved that Paul finally filed a police report. 9:27 He was looking for any way to get law enforcement to take the harassment seriously. 9:33 Because now, he was getting spoofed constantly. 9:37 There were days where he received dozens of calls. 9:41 I get spam calls a lot. 9:43 You probably do too. 9:44 You see a random number pop up on your phone, you pick up. 9:48 Sometimes it's a sales call masked behind a local phone number. 9:52 Other times, no one's on the other line. 9:54 You hang up, and you go about your day. 9:58 The spoof calls Carl received were entirely different. 10:01 First of all, most of the calls weren't showing up as random numbers. 10:05 Instead, he'd actually see his friend's name pop up on his phone, or his uncle's name, 10:12 his sisters. 10:13 You think it's your uncle or your sister, or you pick up what's on the other line? 10:18 Nothing. 10:19 Just 10 seconds of silence. 10:21 silence. 10:24 But to Carl, that silence wasn't empty. 10:27 It felt threatening. 10:29 So whenever Carl picked up the phone and was met with silence on the other end, his mind 10:35 went to a dark place. 10:38 That someone had it out for him and they would stop it nothing. 10:43 What's the big fear? 10:44 What's the worst-case scenario in your head? 10:47 I'm concerned that somebody could be coming for me, that somebody's gonna assault me. 10:52 If not me, then Drew. 10:54 At this point, I'm especially hyper-vigilant. 10:59 As soon as I get in my car, I'm checking the back seats 11:01 to make sure that there's nothing planted there. 11:04 When I'm laying in bed, I don't sleep 11:07 because that's when my sense of hearing, 11:10 I pick up on everything. 11:12 And every time Carl felt his phone buzz, 11:15 that same panic set in. 11:17 His body tensed. His heart rate skyrocketed. 11:20 It wasn't just an irritating call, it was a reminder that somewhere out there, his ex-boyfriend 11:26 Adam was listening, plotting, refusing to let him go. 11:31 All this made it harder than ever to show up as a friend, a partner, and a son. 11:37 Take this one moment in fall 2023 when Carl's mother had a medical emergency. 11:44 My mom called me and said I knew you'd take me to the hospital because she's feeling 11:48 all this pain in her back and in her chest and down her arm. 11:52 Carl got right in his car, picked up his mom, and rushed her to the ER. 11:57 The hospital quickly determined that it was a heart attack. 12:01 It's one of those moments when time slows down. 12:04 Carl watched ER doctors and nurses surround his mom. 12:08 She's like a rock to me in so many ways. 12:11 I always come to her with an issue. 12:13 There would always be some way to figure it out. 12:14 Even when things were volatile, like it'll be okay. It'll be figured out 12:19 This should have been a moment where he could just support his mom 12:23 Instead he was getting call after call 12:27 seemingly from his sister 12:29 But when he picked up 12:31 There was always silence the calls were all fake 12:36 He believed that somehow Adam found out about the heart attack 12:41 Adam was capitalizing on his mom's illness 12:44 illness, kicking Carl when he was down. 12:47 How could you be so sick as to fuck with my mental state right now just as a family member 12:53 is in the hospital? 12:55 To Carl, it was a clear sign that Adam had changed, that he must have lost his mind. 13:01 He's hacking my fucking phone. 13:03 He's hacking my phone. 13:05 He has to be. 13:06 Like he must be spying on me somehow. 13:08 Now, nothing here makes sense right now, 13:10 and that's the only plausible explanation. 13:14 And if you'd stoop this low, 13:17 if you'd take advantage of a moment of crisis, 13:19 what would you do next? 13:22 I'm talking to police officers from the hospital, 13:25 expressing like, hey, what the hell's going on? 13:28 What are we gonna do about this? 13:31 It was like I was in a glass box 13:33 that everybody could see me like screaming 13:35 and screaming and screaming. 13:37 But I did nothing about it like they just passed me by. 13:41 I could just scream into the wind and nothing would happen. 13:44 That's what that felt like. 13:46 After months of feeling dismissed, Carl tried a new tactic. 13:51 Maybe I'll just lean on one of my political connections 13:53 and see what I can find out. 13:55 So he contacted his state representative 13:57 and he finally found someone willing to listen. 14:00 The representative arranged for Carl 14:02 to meet with the district attorney's office 14:04 and an investigator. 14:06 And the investigator responded with document everything. 14:12 I'm like a good government bureaucrat. 14:15 Like I can make a spreadsheet. 14:16 So I was like, hell yeah, I could do that. 14:19 So Carl built a timeline of the harassment. 14:22 He made a spreadsheet starting with the first message 14:25 his friend Paul received on Grindr back in May 14:28 and detailed every instance of harassment since. 14:45 The more Carl documented, the guiltier Adam looked. 14:51 And with each row he added, Carl explained why his ex-boyfriend Adam had to be the culprit. 14:57 I had a comments column explaining why this particular text message was important. 15:03 This has to be Adam because it's about the dog we adopted together. 15:06 This has to be Adam because this was about the time we went to White Castle. 15:11 There was reference to a Valentine's Day card that Adam sent to me from jail. 15:15 I've seen this spreadsheet, and it is no joke. 15:19 There are hundreds and hundreds of entries. 15:22 With this, he thought, the cops had to see what he was dealing with. 15:26 It isn't just one spoof call that's being ignored. It's 45 of them. 15:31 It was a lot to show like somebody is out there that's off their rocker. 15:35 When it was all laid out in Carl's spreadsheet, 15:38 you could see all of the phone calls and texts for what they were, 15:42 a pattern of abuse, and it was getting worse, more unhinged, more violent. 15:49 On November 21st, 2023, Carl and Drew took the spreadsheet to Kenosha Sheriffs. 15:56 They sat down with Kenosha County Deputy Mike Roars. 16:00 He'd worked his fair share of harassment complaints before. 16:03 Quite frankly, in my experience, most of them are bullshit. 16:07 They don't have any substance, because if I just call you and talk your ear off, 16:11 you might not appreciate it, but that doesn't necessarily make it illegal. 16:14 The thing that really set Carl and Andrew apart was Carl had an entire spreadsheet that all kind of pieced this all together. 16:23 And that was something that I had never seen because most people don't have that evidence. 16:27 The more that I kept scrolling through it, the more the realization was that this isn't bullshit, 16:32 that it wasn't just a civil matter, it wasn't just him blowing something out of proportion from an ex. 16:38 It was legitimate harassment, if not stalking. 16:42 But the spreadsheet wasn't the only thing Carl wanted to show the sheriffs that day. 16:48 We have the body cam footage from this meeting, and in it, Carl explains that his boyfriend 16:53 Drew recently received a voicemail from Adam. 16:57 Adam. 16:57 He left a voicemail on phone saying no caller ID, but he explicitly identified himself and 17:05 I listed the voicemail. 17:06 It's absolutely his voice. 17:08 This was significant. 17:09 After months of silence on the other line, they finally had Adam, identifying himself 17:15 on tape. 17:16 Hello, this is Adam, giving you a call. 17:20 I know who this is. 17:21 You know who this is. 17:22 In this voicemail, Adam denied that he had anything to do with the harassment. 17:27 In fact, he made it sound like Carl and Drew were harassing him and his family. 17:33 I would greatly appreciate if you would just stop trying to reach out to me. 17:38 It's getting out of hand. I want nothing to do with you. 17:43 I don't want to speak with you. I have not tried even reaching out to you once 17:48 Since I left and got out of prison, just leave me the hell alone, stop trying to contact my 17:55 family. 17:55 I need to move on with my life and so do you. 17:58 We need to just let it go and move on, okay? 18:02 I will speak to you later." 18:04 This message baffled Carl and Drew. 18:06 Neither of them had reached out to Adam's family. 18:09 And suddenly, Adam was playing the victim? 18:12 It made no sense. 18:14 Then Carl got an idea. 18:16 He could use this voicemail and compare it side by side with that animal abuse call the 18:22 police received weeks earlier. 18:25 Here's that call again. 18:40 The police listened to both recordings, back to back, and compared the voices. 18:46 Here's Adam's voicemail one more time. 18:48 Just leave me the hell alone, stop trying to contact my family, I need to move on with 18:52 my life and so do you. 18:54 I listened to it and you could tell these voices are very similar like it is Adam. 19:00 I'm like this is it right here, I got my smoking gun. 19:04 The cops thought so too. 19:07 Finally, they started to take Carl more seriously because of the spreadsheet and because 19:13 of the voice matching. 19:14 They were convinced that these two calls were from the same person. 19:18 But the cops, Carl and Drew, they all got it wrong. 19:23 That voicemail was legit. 19:25 It was from the real Adam Mejia, reaching out to Carl and Drew for the first time in 19:30 all of this, in hopes of finally putting a stop to whatever was going on. 19:35 I need to move on with my life and so do you. 19:38 We need to just let it go and move on, okay? 19:41 I will speak to you later." 19:44 However, the call to the police was from someone else entirely. 19:49 Someone who'd been hired by Carl's best friend, Paul Augustine. 19:54 And Carl was like, that's Adam's voice, so I was like, oh, this is great. 19:59 Carl totally buys this. 20:18 If you've ever tried to find a psychiatrist who takes your insurance, 20:22 you know how frustrating it can be. 20:24 Long wait lists, no availability, 20:26 or finding out they don't accept your insurance at all. 20:30 That's why I'm excited to tell you about Talkiatry. 20:33 Talkiatry is a 100% online psychiatry practice 20:37 that provides comprehensive evaluations, diagnoses, 20:40 and ongoing medication management for conditions 20:43 like ADHD, anxiety, depression, and more. 20:47 Unlike therapy-only platforms, 20:49 Talkiatry connects you with licensed medical providers 20:51 who can diagnose mental health conditions 20:53 and prescribe medication when it's appropriate. 20:57 Their 800 plus clinicians are in-network 20:59 with major insurers, and getting started is simple. 21:02 Just complete a short online assessment, 21:04 get matched with the clinician who fits your needs, 21:07 and you can schedule your first appointment in days, 21:09 not months. 21:10 Plus, you'll continue seeing the same provider 21:13 so your treatment can grow with you over time. 21:18 Head to talkiotree.com slash betrayal 21:20 to complete the short assessment 21:21 and get matched with an in-network psychiatrist 21:24 in just a few minutes. 21:25 That's T-A-L-K-I-A-T-R-Y-dot-com-slash-betrayal to get matched in minutes, talkiretory.com-slash-betrayal. 21:39 Okay, so buying a new car or new home starts by building credit, right? 21:43 So how do you start building credit? 21:45 Easy. 21:46 With one-page builder card, there's no credit check and no monthly or annual fees. 21:50 Just a card that helps you build credit to reach goals like buying a car or a home. 21:57 When you finally make that big purchase, like buying a house, it's such an incredible feeling of accomplishment. 22:02 You know how much work and how many little steps went into getting there, 22:06 so finally reaching that milestone just feels amazing. 22:09 Download the OnePay app or visit OnePay.com for banking that gives you more for what matters. 22:15 OnePay is a financial technology company, not a bank. 22:18 Banking services provided by Coastal Community Bank 22:20 or Lead Bank, members FDIC. 22:23 Builder card results may vary and aren't guaranteed. 22:25 Learn more about banking through OnePay 22:27 at onepay.com slash podcast. 22:30 CBS Tuesday. 22:31 From the executive producer of the pit 22:33 comes a new vision of elite teamwork 22:35 with New York Swagger 22:37 and an all new CBS original and CIS New York. 22:41 LL Cool J stars as legendary agent Sam Hanna 22:44 returning to his hometown of New York City 22:47 where he teams up with Scott Kahn, Jennifer Beals, 22:50 and a crew of the very best to tackle high-stakes missions 22:53 in the city that never sleeps. 22:55 Don't miss the new series, NCIS New York, 22:57 Tuesday at nine, eight central, 22:59 on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. 23:02 There's a version of you that only shows up in the shower. 23:05 No performance, no audience, just your mind, unguarded, 23:09 working through everything you haven't said out loud. 23:12 It's where the truth surfaces first, 23:14 but for a lot of people, 23:15 that time gets filled by money stress instead. 23:18 Bills, numbers, quiet worry. 23:21 That's where Klarna comes in, 23:22 an everyday money partner 23:23 that takes the complicated stuff off their plate 23:26 so their mind's free to go where it needs to go. 23:29 Get your money sorted with Klarna 23:30 so you can think about, well, anything else. 23:34 California resident loans made or arranged 23:36 pursuant to California Finance Law License, 23:39 NMLS, number 1353190. 23:42 Klarna balance account required 23:44 to be eligible for cashback points, limitations, terms, and conditions apply. 23:54 It was now mid-November 2023, and finally, law enforcement was serious about investigating 24:00 Carl's case. But in many ways, this help would be coming too little too late. 24:06 Carl was already unraveling. 24:09 I was going backwards. It was like everything that I had done over the last couple of years 24:17 towards, like, really improving myself, whether it was my own health or my body image or my 24:23 relationships, living on my own in Kenosha. All of those success stories in terms of my 24:30 own personal growth, it was like I was going backwards on all of it. And the weight was 24:35 the biggest thing. 24:37 Carl lost 150 pounds after his gastric bypass. Dealing with the stress of all this, he 24:43 gained almost half of it back. 24:44 And it was so easy for me to get down on myself for that reason. 24:49 The harassment had been going on for nearly seven months. 24:53 Starting on the day, his new boyfriend Drew moved to Kenosha. 24:57 Carl had planned for this to be the start of a beautiful life together. 25:01 But he wasn't able to be the partner he wanted to be. 25:05 I mean, like, I was not thinking about how we could progress our relationship further 25:10 or do cute boyfriend things because like we are stuck in this mode of chaos. 25:19 Carl felt like a failure. He started drinking more and his self-esteem was almost non-existent. 25:26 It's pointless to even try it because I'm just going to be the fat drunk that I was 25:32 destined to always be. But he did make one last stitch effort to pull himself out of that hole. 25:37 He thought maybe, if he could get back to doing what he loved, he could regain a piece 25:43 of himself. 25:44 So amidst all the chaos in his life, Carl decided to run for school board again. 25:50 He loved his two previous terms. 25:53 He thought maybe public service, but helped ground him. 25:56 I was seeking out ways that I could come back to myself and who I really am as a 26:01 person. 26:02 You know, an individual who just genuinely cares about their community, getting involved 26:06 in the best way that they know how. It truly felt like a means of self-care for me." 26:12 So in November 2023, Carl began putting together his campaign. 26:17 But his stalker wasn't about to let him bounce back so easily. 26:23 After he announced his campaign for School Board, Carl got this text from a random number. 26:28 Good luck with School Board. I'd be hella sure of myself that nothing will go wrong. 26:33 Not like anyone has access to all your information. 26:36 That'd be horrible. 26:38 Carl had nothing to hide, and he said so. 26:41 But the texture insisted, he had receipts. 26:44 It's called knowing smart people who can find out anything I ask. 26:48 I could have fucked you over so much worse, 26:50 but it's so much fun just watching you stress on the daily. 26:54 Carl did his best to ignore the messages. 26:57 Then, 26:57 Text messages were starting to come in, 26:59 and it was extortion threats. 27:02 The culprit promised he had information that Carl would not want out there. 27:07 He'd keep it to himself if Carl was willing to pay. 27:11 Carl had no idea what the text could be referring to, what he was trying to hold over him. 27:17 Over the coming weeks, Carl Stalker started blowing up his phone, demanding money. 27:23 Should I show Andrew the proof of the shit I dug up? 27:26 Or you can send me 200 bucks. 27:28 Got Venmo? 27:29 Do you still have my Venmo ready? 27:31 I can send you the link one more time. 27:34 I don't care who pays me, but I'll give it one hour. 27:36 I got screenshots, babe. 27:38 200 bucks, hello? 27:41 Carl assumed this was all a bluff, 27:44 just another scare tactic. 27:47 Then on December 9th, Carl and Paul 27:50 were hanging out in Carl's apartment. 27:52 They were drinking, trying to have a good time 27:55 when Paul got a text. 27:58 In it were nude images of Carl. 28:02 So many other messages had been fake, but these photos were real. 28:07 These were pictures I might have taken when I had broken up with Adam and I was going 28:12 back on apps. 28:14 Somehow the stalker had gotten access to some of Carl's most private images. 28:20 How they would have ever gotten them, I could never explain, but they got them and 28:24 and now they're being used against me." 28:27 Along with the nude photos were fake text conversations. 28:31 Texts that made it look like Carl was actively cheating on his boyfriend Drew. 28:36 Carl's anxiety was off the charts. 28:39 We're sitting there completely stunned and frozen and I'm drunk but the adrenaline hits 28:45 me and it's like I didn't even have a single sip of alcohol. 28:48 Taking intimate photos is part of dating in the digital era. 28:51 That, in and of itself, isn't a scandal anymore. 28:55 But in this moment, Carl's stalker was threatening to use these photos to cause Carl harm, both 29:02 professionally and personally. 29:06 Carl refused to pay, and that night, to Carl's horror, Drew received a text with the nude 29:12 images and screenshots. 29:14 It was very violating. 29:17 At first, he was definitely questioning stuff, but eventually, like, he just did 29:22 not take it seriously because in one of these doctored conversations, the other person responded 29:28 with another private photo and it was literally a picture of a porn star. 29:33 I wish I was getting guys like that, but like this wasn't the reality. 29:37 And Drew and I both had a laugh about that, like I wish, but no. 29:41 It was a brief moment of lightness in an otherwise scary situation. 29:45 Drew said he didn't believe anything the stalker said anyway. 29:49 way. But after that, Carl could tell his boyfriend started to put walls up. And now, 29:55 of course, there was a looming threat. Who else would get these photos? 30:00 Were you concerned that these photos would be released? 30:04 To anybody else? Oh God, yeah, I was very concerned about that. 30:08 The school board elections were coming up. When Carl was elected the first time, he 30:12 was the first openly queer person on the Kenosha school board. He knew that if 30:17 If these images came out, he'd be judged differently. 30:21 So with these images circulating, Carl dropped out of the race. 30:25 The last thing I needed was for this to go to somebody else out in the community. 30:30 Running for the school board wasn't just another campaign. 30:34 It was a chance to return to something he'd loved, going back to when he was a teenager. 30:39 Now that chance was gone, all because his stalker was blackmailing him. 30:45 His sister, Rebecca, watched it all change Carl. 30:49 I saw somebody who was generally very happy, kind of devolve into somebody who was very 30:58 reserved, battered, untrusting. 31:01 His mom, Sue, noticed physical signs too. 31:05 When he's stressed, he's got a spot right here in his forehead, and then the dark 31:09 circles are on his eyes that you can tell. 31:11 He was very short tempered during that time, just, you know, things that normally is easy 31:16 going. 31:16 It wasn't easy going anymore. 31:19 The only thing that I could possibly do was to get a burner phone with 1990s text messaging 31:27 capabilities and phone calling capabilities. 31:31 And I think that was the first time that the emotions really hit me in that situation. 31:37 I sat there at the kitchen table and I broke down and cried my eyes out. 31:44 And I think it was very difficult for Drew and very difficult for my mom as well because 31:49 this was a thing that nobody had answers about. 31:53 Everybody was there to help and everybody was there to support, but there was nothing 31:58 that any of us could do. 31:59 It was like I was continually screaming into the wind. 32:03 But no matter what false reality people were constructing around me and drew, I had to do 32:10 these ridiculous things to protect myself. 32:13 And it sucked. 32:15 It really sucked. 32:18 Paul had turned Carl's life upside down. 32:21 Seeing Carl in such pain, you might think he'd stop. 32:25 But he wasn't finished. 32:27 He only took this as a sign to push further. 32:31 On January 5th, 2024, Kenosha's non-emergency dispatch received a call. 32:46 Someone was pretending to be Carl. 32:49 The caller said that his boyfriend Drew had a knife and had locked himself in the bathroom. 32:54 As Dispatch communicated with each other about what to do, 32:58 they acknowledged that something was off about the call. 33:07 Yet, they had to assume this was a real emergency. 33:12 Deputy Roars explains, 33:13 We can't just not do anything, because if God forbid something does happen, 33:18 then that's obviously going to not only look bad, but also be very bad. 33:22 So dispatch sent Kenosha sheriffs to the house right away. 33:26 Deputy Roars heard the call come over the police radio. 33:30 Multiple officers were sent with weapons at the ready. 33:34 Going to those calls, your adrenaline's pumping because you don't know what's going to happen. 33:39 all the other squads were coming to this house thinking that it was a barricaded 33:43 subject or somebody was going to get killed. Drew and I had just gotten a bed 33:48 and we'd gotten a pounding at the door and I answered right away and I saw 33:55 multiple squad cars with the lights on and the officer that I'd spoken to was 34:02 like someone called in a weapons call and I'm like what are you talking about 34:07 They could clearly see when they went into the bathroom. 34:10 There was no knife, there was no blood, there was no Drew. 34:15 They asked Drew to come out. 34:17 He was still in his underwear. 34:19 It was so violating. 34:21 And the whole situation was incredibly dangerous. 34:26 False reporting of emergencies is known as swatting, 34:30 as in calling a SWAT team. 34:32 And it's considered a serious crime. 34:34 People can and have died from calls like these. 34:39 One miscommunication, one mistake, 34:43 could have resulted in somebody getting shot and killed. 34:46 I am freaking out from that 34:48 because I'm like inches away from the possibility of somebody dying. 34:52 Deputy Roars knew about Carl and Drew's harassment. 34:56 And so I knew that most likely it was going to be unfounded. 35:00 When he heard the call for service come over the radio, 35:03 he rushed to alert his team. 35:05 He managed to slow things down before anyone got hurt. 35:09 If I wasn't there and didn't have that knowledge, 35:11 then it would have been those six people going 35:13 and having to almost kick down the door. 35:16 The night ended, and everyone was physically okay. 35:19 But the ordeal shook Carl to his core. 35:22 To me, it was like, what is even real life at this point? 35:27 It was just an assault on my grasp on reality. 35:30 And I'm here trying to manage some semblance of normalcy, but I can barely hold it together 35:37 myself. 35:39 I was not suicidal, but I will say it literally is going to take for me to die for this to 35:46 end, it feels like. 35:48 It was like the only way this is ever going to stop is somebody dead. 36:08 You need credit to buy, well, pretty much anything. 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chicken, beef, carrots, and peas 38:52 being prepared right in front of you. 38:54 It's real food made in real kitchens. 38:56 Nothing is hidden behind labels. 38:59 And that kind of transparency says a lot. 39:01 Nothing to hide, everything to love. 39:04 Go to JustFoodForDogs.com and get 50% off your first order. 39:11 After the swatting incident at Carl's home, 39:14 Deputy Roars did some investigating 39:16 and he realized something. 39:18 The call about Drew having a knife 39:20 was called in to a non-emergency number. 39:23 In hindsight, this should have been a significant clue 39:27 that the call was fake. 39:29 Here's Deputy Roars again. 39:31 Most people when they need police, they call 911. 39:34 And if you call non-emergency, foreign emergency, 39:37 it's most likely made up. 39:40 That's because 911 screens for spoof calls. 39:43 And because when they're using spoof numbers, 39:46 they aren't able to dial 911. 39:49 It seemed like the harasser knew this 39:51 because instead of calling 911 39:53 to report these fake emergencies, 39:55 they called non-emergency dispatch. 39:58 Over the next few days, 40:00 Kenosha County Sheriff's non-emergency dispatch line 40:04 received over 30 fake calls. 40:07 All of them appeared to come from Carl 40:09 and members of his family. 40:12 This was draining law enforcement resources 40:14 and Deputy Roars was fed up. 40:18 I knew how upsetting and frustrating it was 40:21 for Carl and Andrew who were having to live with this. 40:23 I mean, I go home at the end of the night 40:25 and I can turn off my phone and I don't have to deal with it. 40:27 This was their lives. 40:32 The Sheriff's Office put more resources on the case. 40:35 That's when a detective was brought on 40:37 to partner with Deputy Roars. 40:40 My name is Alison George 40:42 and I'm a detective with the Cornish County Sheriff's Office. 40:45 I first started working on this case on January 2024. 40:49 Detective George had special training 40:51 in internet crimes like spoofing. 40:53 So she started reading through the case file. 40:56 Based on the extent of the spoofing and the places that were being spoofed called, such as the 41:02 Dispatch Center, it told me that this perpetrator was going to great lengths to conceal their 41:07 identity and that they were likely on a smart device utilizing all these different applications. 41:14 Immediately, she knew what law enforcement needed to do to crack this case. Zapina, 41:20 the spoofing companies. You see, spoofing apps aren't a completely foolproof way to hide a 41:25 caller's identity. In fact, the software companies that produce these apps cooperate 41:30 with police investigations all the time. 41:33 If law enforcement are reaching out, they'll say, yep, send me a subpoena and we will 41:37 get you the information of who's using our application to place those calls. 41:41 So Detective George sent out several subpoenas to the spoofing companies. The only problem 41:46 was those records could take weeks to come back, or in some cases even longer. 41:51 In the meantime, George returned to the case file, and she was stunned to see the spreadsheet 41:58 Carl made, logging every harassing call and text. 42:03 As she combed through it, she came to the same conclusion as Carl. 42:07 His ex-boyfriend, Adam Mejia, was likely their guy. 42:12 All that information that we had constituted probable cause to believe that Adam Mejia 42:17 was actually the perpetrator of this. 42:19 Probable cause. Maybe there wasn't enough evidence to arrest Adam just yet. 42:25 But all signs pointed towards him. 42:28 And that allowed Detective George to justify other methods of investigation. 42:34 So, in coordination with the attorney's office, a search warrant was authored. 42:38 It was approved by a judge. 42:40 And we went up to the city that Mr. Mahia lives in 42:44 and met with Mr. Mahia and executed that search warrant. 42:48 Kenosha's sheriffs decided to divide and conquer. 42:52 One group of investigators searched Adam's partner's house, where Adam was living. 42:57 At the same time, Detective George and Deputy Roars tracked down Adam, and he wasn't hard 43:03 to find. 43:04 They showed up at his regularly scheduled probation meeting. 43:07 Remember, Adam was still on probation for his DUI. 43:10 Detectives took him to a local police station for questioning. 43:27 This footage is from Adam's interrogation. 43:30 In the video, Adam takes off his winter jacket and sits down across from the sheriffs. 43:35 Before this meeting, authorities thought they understood the kind of person they'd be questioning. 43:40 morning. Judging by the text they'd seen, this perpetrator was a vindictive, manipulative 43:46 guy. A jealous ex could stop at nothing to destroy Carl's life. But the man they met 43:52 that day in January 2024 was none of those things. 43:57 I'm trying to do good. I'm trying to move away from where I was at. I'm trying to 44:03 just be clean and sober. I was fucked up for three years of my life on alcohol. 44:08 and I dated my best friend it was a horrible situation I don't want any of 44:14 that anymore I'm trying to move on and it keeps getting thrown in my face like I 44:19 swear this is not me but then I don't know I don't know why would somebody be 44:27 trying to send you to jail I do not know Detective George decided to try a 44:32 little harder to see if Adam would confess to it at one point she lied 44:38 to Adam saying they already had proof that the spoof calls came from him. This is a common tactic 44:44 used in police interrogations to see if the suspect will crack once they think they've been caught. 45:08 The problem is it's pointing in your direction. 45:11 How? 45:13 That's what I'd like you to explain to me. 45:15 I seriously do not know how. 45:17 Like 100% have no clue how that could happen, 45:22 because I have not contacted anyone. 45:26 Adam stuck to his story. 45:28 He was innocent. 45:30 But there was still so much evidence 45:32 that seemed to confirm it was him. 45:34 Somebody has been calling the dispatch center 45:36 is essentially swatting. 45:37 Yeah. 45:38 And if it comes back to your IP address, I mean, that's not gonna, I mean, that's gonna 45:42 be the benefit that it was you. 45:44 It's not going to. 45:45 So it's not going to come back? 45:46 No. 45:46 Did you know that the voice changer didn't work that fun that you called our district? 45:49 What are you talking about? 45:52 When we compare that to the phone call to our just bad center, it's the same boy. 45:58 It's not the same boy that I did not call them. 46:01 Detective George played the animal abuse call for Adam. 46:04 It's a feminine gay guy, but it's not me. 46:17 This was one of the only moments in the interrogation where Adam seemed on edge. 46:23 Detective George saw the shift in his body. 46:32 I'm not accusing of anything, I'm confronting you with the facts. 46:35 And I'm being honest, I have not called, and this has been going on for too long." 46:40 Adam was upset, but through it all, he was cooperative.
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