Police arrest man accused of terrorizing Tacoma woman, destroying her property

TACOMA, Wash. - Update: 

A single mom in Tacoma says a stranger is targeting her family, and she no longer feels safe; she reached out to FOX 13 News to help get attention on the issue. 

Shortly after FOX 13 aired her story, Tacoma police were able to identify the 45-year-old suspect. He was arrested on May 31 without incident at his home. He is facing two counts of second-degree mischief. 

Previous story: 

Ginger Rivera says she moved into her Tacoma home in January with her 15-year-old son.

"I was kind of going through difficult times. So it was, I felt more capable, you know, being a homeowner on my own. So, it was kind of exciting and scary all at the same time," said Rivera.

Several months later, this single mom says the excitement is gone, and all that is left is fear.

"I can’t rest, you know. I'm on high alert all the time. It’s flight or fight mode," said Rivera.

For the last month, Rivera says a strange man continually returns to her home destroying parts of her property. She says it even happens multiple times a day.

Rivera has no idea why.

"The neighbors don’t know who he is. I don’t know who he is. I’m trying to figure out, you know, what his motive is. Is it the house? Is it the previous tenants? Is it me?" she said.

Rivera says she is dealing with the headache and cost of home repairs due to the damage. However, what is much harder to deal with is the loss of feeling safe at home. 

She says her son no longer wants to stay at the house.

"That's heartbreaking. I don’t blame him. I agree with him," she said.

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Rivera says she calls the police each time there is an incident, but this man is still harassing her family.

"They [the police] see this as just a not a high-priority crime. This is vandalism, which I understand. But if you take in the whole picture, it’s escalating. And he has intent to do harm, you kno. It’s an attack," she said.

Rivera says at first she was terrified, but now that feeling is turning into anger.

"I need help, and I’m not getting help. And so I’m reaching out to anyone I can to get that help," said Rivera.

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FOX 13 News reached out to Tacoma City Councilmember, Joe Bushnell, who Rivera says she has been working with to get answers.

In a statement, Bushnell told us:

"I empathize with the community member who has reached out to me. Her account of the harassment that she and her family have experienced at the hands of another individual sounds traumatic and it is unacceptable. In Tacoma, we are working hard to ensure everyone can feel safe in their own homes. I will continue to work closely with her and her family, as well as the Tacoma Police Department, to resolve this situation."