MACON, Ga. — One Macon woman says for months she's been harassed and threatened by her neighbor, even after getting a protective order.
Shondrinka Walker says she thought she was just being a good neighbor.
“Now I kind of wish I didn’t,” she said.
Walker says she met Oscar Banks when she moved into her apartment three years ago.
“He asked me for rides and offered me gas money. I was helping him out because he needed somewhere to go,” Walker said.
Last January, after she denied him a ride, she says everything changed.
"He just started harassing me out of the blue, like,” she said. “Crossing my yard, threatening me. Walk past my car making threats. ‘I'll get my cousin to jump on you.’ Everyday. It was happening every day."
Then, she says it escalated.
“He threatened to murder me. He also told me he had a gun and he was going to blow my head off,” she said.
Walker said in December she was granted a protective order after Banks charged at her while yelling. He was arrested for terroristic threats, but she says that didn't stop him.
“I felt like it just kept getting old, he kept doing the same stuff over and over,” she said.
Walker says she's supposed to call law enforcement every time he violates the order.
“Sometimes they don’t come and then when they do come-- by the time they come he be gone,” she said.
Crisis Line and Safe House Deputy Director Jaime Bormann says Walker isn’t alone.
“About 67% of our calls to our hotline were about domestic violence and about 14% of our calls were about stalking,” Bormann said.
She says stalking is terrifying for people experiencing it.
“It’s often out of their control, it’s often laced with threats– whether it’s an overt threat or threatening in nature. It can happen unexpectedly,” Bormann said.
However, she says they can help.
“So protective orders are one way someone can address being abused or stalked, or harassed. Last year our organization assisted in the filing of 358 protective orders," she said.
Bormann says research proves protective orders reduce, lessen, or discourage stalking somewhat or completely. However, if you feel it's not enough, there are solutions.
“They can file a contempt action with the Superior Court. Essentially, they’ll be put back on the calendar and the judge can hear what those violations have been. Then the judge can take some action against the person in contempt and decide on what that punishment looks like," she said.
Bormann says even if people feel like law enforcement is not responding, it is still important to report every violation to create a paper trail. She says there needs to be more precautions taken than just the protective order.
“Getting a camera, or having a plan for a safe place to go can be part of the whole picture of their safety that are really important,” she said.
The Bibb Sheriff’s Office says Banks was arrested Tuesday for a second time in four months for allegedly violating the order. They say he’s being held in the Bibb County Jail without bond.
Walker encourages people to collect evidence and advocate for themselves.
“It's not okay to be harassed and to feel uncomfortable where you live at,” she said.
If you'd like to know more about protective orders or know someone who needs help, you can call Crisis Line's anonymous hotline at 478-745-9292.