Accused Stalker Arrested After Teen Sunbathes At Pool
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HALLANDALE BEACH (CBSMiami) -- A Hallandale Beach man is behind bars on accusations that he harassed a sunbathing teenager, something the girl's father said has been going on for five years.
The father is speaking out exclusively with CBS4's Peter D'Oench. Damiyano Slobodan says, "I believe in law enforcement and even though he has never been arrested before and he has done worse things before, I believe Justice has been served. This has to be taken seriously with kids being exposed to such people."
Police said David Mitchell Gurtman, 56, violated a repeat stalking injunction order when he walked onto the community pool's premises Tuesday afternoon, at 505 Leslie Drive, where a 13-year-old girl was lounging on a lawn chair by herself.
When Gurtman approached her, the arrest report said, she ran toward her father, who was nearby, sitting in on a board meeting underneath a pavilion.
Slobodan told Gurtman to leave and that he couldn't be near his daughter due to the prior stalking order.
"I can be wherever I want," Gurtman replied, before advancing toward the girl again, now sitting under the pavilion.
At that point, she ran back to her home in fear.
"He spotted her, and then like an animal," Slobodan retraced Gurtman's actions. "I didn't see it but somebody said 'What you doing, what you doing?' And I turn and I saw him already here, straight right after her."
Gurtman was picked up by police two blocks away. He told officers he didn't think he was in violation of the order because he was 50-feet away from her home.
Slobodan said Gurtman had stalked his daughter numerous times in the past five years.
"He's just after her," he said. "They never arrested him before. He did worse than this. But justice is served."
An arresting officer, who reviewed surveillance video of the incident, wrote on the report that it was "clear (Gurtman's) intentions were to harass and upset the victim." Speaking with the victim's father and following the girl from one side of the pool to the other were also violations of the order.
Unemployed, Gurtman reportedly told detectives, "I can be whatever I want."
Gurtman was charged with aggravated stalking of a minor and is being held on $20,000 bond. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim and to stay 500 feet away from her.
Slobodan was asked why he had not moved away after all the incidents in the past.
"I didn't see any danger," he said. "I love this place. My child was born here. She went to school here. Where are you going to move? I did not want to run away. I saw no reason to move."
So far police have not commented about this case.