Man accused of harassing ex-wife before appearance at domestic violence awareness event

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A man was arrested after police say he violated a protection order by sabotaging his ex-wife’s efforts to speak at a National Awareness Month event. domestic violence in Rockford.

According to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Lauren Pruitt, of Pecatonica, was scheduled to speak Wednesday at an event at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Rockford campus, alongside Sheriff Gary Caruana, about raising awareness and prevention of domestic violence.

Police said that on Oct. 15, Pruitt’s ex-husband, Brandon Smith, 40, of Woodstock, began a campaign of indirect contact calls to obtain information about his ex-wife. Authorities said he contacted the UNIO campus with intimidation tactics and ultimately led organizers to cancel the event.

Pruitt has an order of protection against Smith, police said.

On Friday, Smith was arrested by Crystal Lake police and transported to Rockford, where he was booked into the Winnebago County Jail on charges of violating a protection order, intimidation, stalking and aggravated stalking.

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office said, “It is not common practice to release the names of victims of domestic violence, but in this case the Sheriff’s Office received authorization to release the name of the victim. »

“Whether it is physical or verbal assault, harassment or any form of harassment, perpetrators are not above the law and they will be held accountable,” said Winnebago County Sheriff, Gary Caruana. “I commend Lauren for her courage to speak out and give others in similar situations the courage to get the help they need to get through it.”

“Before Brandon’s arrest, I had lost hope, but now I feel a sense of peace,” Lauren Pruitt said. “I am very grateful to Sheriff Caruana and the agencies involved, who I hope will put an end to this nightmare. I look forward to telling my story at an upcoming NICNE (Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence at NIU) event for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

If you are a survivor of domestic or sexual violence, visit our Stateline Strong Page for resources.

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