Indiana
Indiana man arrested for stalking, harassing Taylor Swift
A resident of Indiana has been arrested and accused of stalking and harassing Taylor Swift for multiple months.
According to CNN, Mitchell Taebel, a 36-year-old individual, was taken into custody on June 2 and is currently being held in LaPorte County Jail. The charges against him include stalking, intimidation, invasion of privacy, and harassment.
Taebel is accused of sending threatening messages between March and May of this year to Swift, as well as her management team. Although Swift is not explicitly named in the affidavit from LaPorte Superior Court, numerous references to the singer are present throughout the document. These references include mentions of her management team, 13 Management, her ongoing Eras Tour, her former boyfriend Joe Alwyn, and a song from her latest album.
The affidavit revealed, Taebel sent a voice message to Swift through Instagram on March 29, expressing his willingness to wear a bomb if he couldn’t be with his supposed soul mate. The affidavit further states that Taebel sent messages to individuals closely associated with Swift, including her father and dancers.
On May 5, Taebel reportedly traveled from Long Beach, Indiana, to Swift’s residence in Nashville. However, security escorted him away from the property. later, on the same day Taebel went to Nissan Stadium, where Swift was performing, but he was recognized by security and removed from the premises with the assistance of security and venue personnel.
Despite a temporary restraining order being granted on May 11, requested by 13 Management’s legal counsel and served to Taebel on May 13, the affidavit claims that he continued to violate the restraining order and sent messages to Swift throughout the month of May, at least until May 18.
A bond of $15,000 was set for the stalking charge on June 1. Taebel’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 27.