This comment is in response to the article, “Problems of harassment in law enforcement: Why you should report bad cops,” written by Bill, a law enforcement officer.
I recently had the unfortunate opportunity to go out on a first date with a low level FBI agent who works as an accountant in the Chicago bureau. Although I had initially made contact with this individual via the internet (since he lived in Chicago and I lived in his hometown of Columbia South Carolina), I believed I could trust him since he had been a highly respected member The First Baptist Church college Sunday School group several years ago and more importantly was now working for the FBI. The added bonus was that my dearest friend, who is a lovely person and committed Christian, knew this individual (albeit superficially) for many years during her membership in his Sunday school class and thought very highly of him.
Following the initial internet contact, the person in question and I began speaking on the phone. Even though red flags were raised when this individual immediately began discussing his intentions of marrying me (without even a face to face meeting), I dismissed these red flags since I was so flattered that a good Christian, upstanding FBI agent, and friend of my dear friend, would want to marry me and take care of me financially. I did think it strange, however, that this individual continually wanted to know intimate details of my past relationships, and whether or not I had ever cheated. In fact, he grilled me repeatedly about these issues. Again, I dismissed these red flags for the reasons mentioned above.
My first date with this individual caused trauma such as I had never experienced. To begin with, he carried a gun – I found out later that he always carried a gun, even though his job with the FBI did not require it. He showed me the gun early on in the date, and allowed me to hold it. He then laughed and said, “You know you could have shot your foot off with that, and then you would never be able to ride again.” (I had mentioned horseback riding to him and my love for it; he had wanted me to give it up when we got married – a cruel joke to say the least.) This was just the beginning. Other peculiar events happened during the date indicating this individual’s desire to intimidate and control.
At the end of the date, he pulled into my driveway. He then began grilling me and asked if I had ever cheated on my previous boyfriend; he became so enraged at my failure to respond that he took his two fingers, and pressed them against the side of my throat (a pressure point as I later found out) demanding that I never cheat on him and stating that I was wrong to cheat on my previous boyfriend. He pressed harder and harder, so hard that my air supply was cut off for approximately a minute and a half. The pain was excruciating, I couldn’t breathe, and I was in shock. (I found out later that he had used the martial arts spear finger attack which is so dangerous that it is only to be used in self defense; this method of attack can kill in less than four minutes.) After he had removed his hand from my throat, he said, “Now I am in control in a terrible tone of voice.” I was afraid to say or do anything since he had a gun, and felt that I still had to continue to be nice and cordial as I had been all evening or I would be shot.
The next day I reported the incident to the local police. I also reached this individual’s former fiance, who lived in Jackson, Miss, the place where he had been on his previous assignment. (The fiance indicated to me that she was terrified of him also, but would not be willing to testify. She had just had a new baby and wanted to begin a new life.)
Later on a wonderful detective took over the case and thoroughly believed me. The detective called the individual in question to inform him that I had reported him and to request that he be interrogated. Jimmy, the perpetrator of the crime, was caught off guard during the phone conversation and was somewhat incoherent according to the detective – what he said didn’t add up.
Jimmy was scheduled to come to Columbia this past labor day (2010) and an interrogation was to be set up at this time. He was also asked to take a lie detector test. (Jimmy had asked that I take a test, and I of course I whole-heartedly agreed).
When Jimmy arrived in Columbia, he immediately hired a lawyer to accompany him to the interrogation. The next thing I knew, Jimmy refused to be interrogated and never showed up for his interrogation. He also refused to take a lie detector test. Apparently there was nothing for the detective to do but to refer the incident to the FBI’s internal affairs division. The Internal Affairs division failed to contact me, so, I am left to live with the consequences of what Jimmy did.
Although it has not been that long since this incident occurred, I have not forgotten it, and the trauma remains. I hope someday this individual, Jimmy, who undoubtedly continues to prey on other women (prostitutes in Chicago?), will be caught and justice will be served.