Patterson Man Accused Arrested For Allegedly Stalking Women Multiple Times
PATTERSON (CBS13) - A Patterson woman says she's had several run-ins with a neighbor, and on Saturday night, things escalated even further when she claims he broke into her home.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, said she was asleep on the couch with her two children early Saturday morning when she felt something touch her foot.
"I heard just bloody screaming like something horrendous was happening," said the woman's mother, who was asleep in her bedroom nearby.
The 28-year-old woman sleeping on the couch said she awoke to find her neighbor, Flavio Alvarez, standing over her. It was the same man she claimed had been stalking her since January, she said.
"So I screamed: I'm on the phone with police, I'm on the phone with police," said her mother.
The women said their neighbor, 21-year-old Flavio Alvarez, had jumped over their backyard fence and taken a screen off the window to get inside.
"He thought this out, he planned this out. He entered my house with no shoes. He knew what to do," said the victim's mother.
The women said they first started seeing Alvarez around their Poppy Avenue home shortly after his family moved in next door.
"I've seen him hiding behind garbage cans, I've caught him looking through windows, he's been in our backyard; one time he even grabbed the groceries out of my car to carry them inside and asked if I needed a friend," said the victim.
The family filed a restraining order after they said Alvarez's behavior escalated from watching the victim, to approaching her to eventually trying to get inside her house.
"He's a ticking time bomb. He's telling us something. No one is listening," said the victim's mother. "And we wonder when people get killed or raped how it happened. This is how it starts."
The woman isn't the only victim in Patterson.
"He's also victimized other people in our community. An 89-year-old lady. He's entered her house at least twice I know of with a dagger," she added.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office said Alvarez has been arrested five times this year near the women's homes.
"It's frustrating for us to take people to jail and then let them back out," said Sheriff Spokesperson Josh Clayton. "This person is someone who has shown a pattern of behavior where he keeps harassing specific people and it's not OK."
In some of the incidents, Alvarez either left before police arrived or was never charged.
"The issue with the arrests is, up until Sunday, they have all been misdemeanors," said Clayton. "The arrests on Saturday involve some felonies so hopefully we can make some of these actually stick on him…to make sure he is held accountable for his actions," said Clayton.
On Tuesday, Alvarez pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary, violating a restraining order, and possession of methamphetamine.
The victim was there for the arraignment. She said he repeatedly turned around and stared at her.
"My reaction is incredible concern for the two victims," said Julie Bornhoeft of the women's advocacy group WEAVE."This is an individual that's shown on at least two occasions a pattern of escalated stalking behavior. Too often we see talking minimized or dismissed as not violent, not a threat, but what we know is it's a precursor to greater violence."
As authorities work to keep Alvarez behind bars, the 28-year-old victim and her mother want the public to be aware of who he is and what he is capable of.
"He's grooming and he's getting away with it and we need to do something," said the victim's mother. "We can. The community needs to get together. Our laws are lawless. Are police are awesome, but we as a community have to stand up."
