OLYMPIA, Wash. — "It was pretty much one day of harassment after another." That's how Ben Shea describes several years of his life after his relationship with his girlfriend Ivy Rukin ended in 2008.
Shea says Rukin stalked him for years, calling him sometimes 100 times a day, and had him arrested twice by filing false reports accusing him of assault. In one case, Rukin claimed Shea assaulted her right in front of Olympia City Hall.
"She told police I dragged her out of her car, kicked her, and beat her on the side of the road," Shea said.
Olympia police looked at surveillance video and discovered it was actually Rukin in her SUV who had pulled a U-turn in front of City Hall and aggressively pursued her ex-boyfriend's vehicle down the street.
Rukin was initially charged with false reporting, but she was brought back to court on Friday to face new accusations of intimidating a witness.
Police said they served a warrant and arrested Rukin at her Tumwater apartment after she posed as someone else and sent Shea a non-stop string of text messages telling him to get prosecutors to drop the false reporting charges.
The texts came from a blocked number but Shea used a phone app to unblock the calls and get the number, which he reported to police, who then tracked it back to Rukin.
Ben Shea said he has feared Rukin could become violent and always checks his surroundings for fear she might be nearby. He said he hopes she is convicted of the felony charges and just leaves him alone.
Shea said if he could tell Rukin one thing it would be "You can't force somebody to be part of your life. Just move on."
KIRO
