Woman Says Man Caught Stealing Car In DuPage County Has Beaten Her, Is Still Stalking Her
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A car thief was caught on camera in unincorporated Wheaton last week – and he remained on the loose Thursday.
But now, CBS 2 knows who the suspected thief is – and why one woman is so afraid of him. The woman said James Holmes may look like a petty car thief, but he is much worse.
She said Holmes beat her and has stalked her, all despite an order of protection against him.
And as CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, the woman is afraid of what he will do next.
From attacks to stolen cars, thefts and destroyed property, Holmes' ex wants to know why more isn't being done to protect her and bring him in. She was shaken and scared as she spoke.
"I am overwhelmed," the woman said.
The woman did not want to be identified and let her silhouette do the talking on video. She said the man who was caught on doorbell video stealing a Nissan Armada – which was later found abandoned and returned to its owners – went on to vandalize her car.
"My front and my back window is busted open. And I see that Nissan Armada, which is a different truck he's stolen, pulling off and my windows are broken," the woman said.
There is a $150,000 arrest warrant out for Holmes in DuPage County for the theft of Kevin and Catie Sewell's Nissan Armada.
We found Holmes is wanted by at least two other police and sheriff's departments – including drugs, domestic battery, and aggravated assault.
But as of Thursday night, he was still not in custody. And at this point, the woman said her 21-day emergency protection order against him is a little more than a piece of paper.
"I thought at that point in time, like, am I going to die?" the woman said.
She said Holmes is following her, threatening to kill her.
"He grabbed his two hands and put them around my neck," she said, "and he squeezed very hard. Very, very hard."
Days later, she says he followed her to school.
"He opened my car door and he beat me up, and he was punching me in my face, like, repeatedly," she said. "And I'm thinking when I look at him, no another blow is not going to come. And another blow came."
It hasn't stopped there. The woman said in the past couple weeks, Holmes has shown up everywhere she's known to go.
She said he has stolen from her, parked outside her home late at night, and tried to run her off the road.
She said she has reported all of it to police - several departments - from the car he's in to the direction he's going. But it keeps happening.
"He's been in my presence more than three times and I've tried to report that. I've tried to help. I've tried to help," she said. "It's always: 'Call the police! Call the police!' I've done that."
Molina asked the woman if she thought police were failing her.
"Sort of, yeah, they are," she said. "Because he's still out in the wind and my life is still on the line."
Holmes was still not in custody late Thursday.
Molina has filed requests for information on him and his crimes with every department we know is involved - more than six. As of Thursday night, there were at least 2 warrants for his arrest.