ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A man has been arrested after police say he violated an order of protection by sabotaging the efforts of his ex-wife to speak at a Domestic Violence Awareness Month event in Rockford.
According to the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Lauren Pruitt, of Pecatonica, was scheduled to speak at an event at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) Rockford campus on Wednesday, along with Sheriff Gary Caruana, about domestic violence awareness and prevention.
Police said on October 15th, Pruitt’s ex-husband, Brandon Smith, 40, of Woodstock, began a campaign of calling to make indirect contact to obtain information about his former spouse. Authorities said he contacted the NIU campus with intimidation tactics, and ultimately led organizers to cancel the event.
Pruitt has an order of protection against Smith, police said.
On Friday, Smith was taken into custody by Crystal Lake Police and was transported to Rockford, where he was booked into the Winnebago County Jail on charges of Violating an Order of Protection, Intimidation, Stalking, and Aggravated Stalking.