LEWISTON — Police say a woman who was stabbed to death on a city street Sunday morning did not report being stalked by the man accused of killing her.
Lt. David St. Pierre of the Lewiston Police Department said Tuesday that he had “double- and triple-checked” for any calls from Kimberly Dobbie. The only contact she made to Lewiston police was in May.
“She was reporting problems at the (Hope Haven Gospel Mission) shelter involving verbal abuse,” St. Pierre said.
Dobbie’s friends said that Albert Flick, 76, had been stalking Dobbie leading up to her fatal stabbing outside a Lewiston laundromat. Flick has been charged with murder in Dobbie’s slaying.
“We can’t term this a domestic violence case, because they weren’t romantically involved, but this was stalking,” Kathy Cormier said on Monday. “We are heartbroken for what he’s done.”
Police recommend those who believe they are being stalked “should document it as well as they can and call the police,” St. Pierre said, noting victims should record how, when and where the stalking occurred.
To be a crime of stalking, it has to happen at least twice, police said.
What happens next depends on what the victim wants. Sometimes police will give a suspected stalker a warning to stay away from the other person. Police can also give the victim advice on obtaining a harassment or protection from abuse order.
Other times, victims might not seek anything right away except to report what had happened so a pattern is established. If the stalking continues, it could mean the stalker could be summoned to court or arrested, St. Pierre said.
“The biggest thing is I urge them to notify police so we know what’s going on – ‘Robert Smith is following me around and it seems weird to me.’ If it happens again, we have documented evidence,” St. Pierre said.
On Tuesday, Hope Haven announced on its webpage that its staff “is shocked and deeply saddened” by Dobbie’s death.
“The circumstances are horrific, and two little boys lost their mother in an unimaginable way,” the announcement read. “We ask the community to pray for Kim’s boys, and for the family she leaves behind as they face the days ahead.”
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