Man Pleads Guilty to Stalking High School Teacher for 14 Years
(INSIDE EDITION) - An Illinois man has pleaded guilty to charges he stalked an area high school teacher for 14 years.
Prosecutors say 36-year-old Cyrus Chamanara of Berwyn "methodically stalked" a teacher who'd once testified against him in an unrelated criminal case.
"By his own admission, [Chamanara] for the last 14 years methodically stalked the victim" Riverside, Ill. police said in a statement."And not only harassed the victim but his family... Simply put, the victim in this case and his family went through hell these past 14 years
According to police, Chamanara has been arrested on multiple charges in four states since 2002 on charges including stalking, harassing, criminal damage and other crimes, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Authorities say the stalking began after Chamanara was arrested for trespassing at a school during basketball and cheerleading practice.
The victim confronted him and later testified against him.
Police say Chamanara admitted to them at the time of his most recent arrest that he continued stalking the teacher because the 2002 arrest has prevented him from getting a job since.
In a bizarre twist, the Riverside police said Chamanara was once arrested and convicted in Arizona for stalking former NBA player and coach Jeff Hornacek.
Berwyn entered a guilty plea for felony stalking and misdemeanor telephone harassment charges. As part of a plea agreement, he will serve two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections minus time served.
He'll also be supervised for two years following his release.
"Until this case in Riverside, the court system failed to serve justice to the victims," said Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel. "Each time he was arrested, he was able to bond out on a misdemeanor and received no significant jail time. I am extremely gratified that in this case he was sentenced to two years in prison for his acts."