BOISE, Idaho — A Texas man was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for stalking a Boise woman, sending her hundreds of unwanted messages, recording her, and keying her car.
Carl Mitchell, 28, will be eligible for parole after spending two years behind bars.
According to prosecutors, Mitchell and his victim had a brief dating relationship before the stalking started. Between April 2020 and May 2020, he sent her harassing texts from 20 to 30 different numbers, contacting her hundreds of times.
Mitchell also recorded phone conversations the woman had with other people and monitored what she was doing through a security system he had installed while they were dating.
Officials say Mitchell also keyed the victim's car while she was staying at a local hotel. After the woman reported the harassment to police, prosecutors say, he tried to bribe her to halt the police investigation.
Mitchell was arrested in May 2020 and charged with felony malicious injury to property, felony witness intimidation and misdemeanor second-degree stalking. He pleaded guilty to the witness intimidation and stalking charges in July.
At the sentencing, Judge Steven Hippler told Mitchell that he had subjected his victim to "pure hell," adding that his behavior was “beyond shocking.”
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“Thank you to the victim for having the courage to report these crimes to law enforcement, and thank you to the Boise Police Department for their thorough investigation,” Ada County Prosecutor Jan M. Bennetts said.
Anyone who is a victim of stalking or harassment can get free help from the FACES of Hope Victim Center. Services are available 24/7 at the center, located at 417 South 6th Street in Boise. Victims can also call FACES of Hope at 208-577-4400 to speak to an advocate or schedule an appointment.
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