Man featured in Netflix’s ‘I Am a Stalker’ pleads not guilty to stalking, harassment in new Ogle County case

A Cortland man who was featured in a 2022 episode of “I Am a Stalker” has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of stalking, harassing and violating an order of protection in a new case that involves the same Ogle County woman featured in the Netflix series.

John R. Anderson III, 42, was sentenced to six years in prison for aggravated stalking in DeKalb County in 2019. The Netflix series included an installment that focuses on that case, Anderson’s relationship with the woman who fled to Illinois to get away from him, and his pending release from prison.

Now charged in a new Ogle County case for harassing the same woman, Anderson pleaded not guilty in Ogle County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Aug. 6, to two counts of aggravated stalking, five counts of stalking, harassment by telephone and three counts of violating an order of protection after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing.

According to court records, all of the new case’s alleged incidents occurred in December and January, when he violated a 2024 Ogle County order of protection and “harassed” the Rochelle woman by placing messages and content on her cellphone, writing a letter to her, texting her and making repeated calls to her using different phone numbers and apps so as to hide his contact information.

He also is accused of “repeatedly” surveilling her residence by parking in front of her home and her place of employment in Rochelle, parking in a nearby lot, “repeatedly calling and texting her,” and placing cupcakes on her vehicle.

Other charges accuse him of emailing the woman, posting an event on her iPhone calendar and sending her a Shapchat request to call him.

Anderson also is accused of gaining access to her vehicle, placing a GPS tracking device in her vehicle and gaining access to her Amazon Alexa device, using it to ask to talk to a child they share.

During a July 30 detention hearing in the newest case, Assistant Ogle County State’s Attorney Matthew Leisten said Anderson called the woman, who is his former girlfriend, “nonstop.”

“[Anderson] uses an app so the calls appear to be from someone else,” Leisten said. “He has parked in front of her residence for several hours at a time, making 23 calls.”

Leisten said one of the “fake” calls made by Anderson to the woman appeared as a call from the Rochelle Police Department while officers from that department were at her home responding to her call about Anderson harassing her.

The woman found the GPS tracker in the back seat of her car. She claimed Anderson had put the tracker there when he placed their child in the seat, Leisten said.

Anderson told police that he started “blowing up” the woman’s phone when he became angry with her and felt he was “being treated unfairly,” Leisten said.

“He told the officers he and the woman had an ‘on-and-off’ relationship for several years and he ‘can’t take it’ when she separates him from his son,” Leisten told the court. “He said it didn’t matter if it was a parole violation and called her thousands of times.”

Leisten also said Anderson had sent the woman a letter while he was in prison, which was a violation of the order of protection.

According to Ogle County Jail records, Anderson has been in the Ogle County Jail since July 25. Assistant Ogle County Public Defender Eric Morrow argued for Anderson’s release during a July 30 detention hearing, telling Ogle County Judge Anthony Peska that Anderson could reside with his mother as the case proceeds through the court system.

“He has no driver’s license, but he has friends who can get him to court,” Morrow said, adding that Anderson had a “job waiting for him” if he were to be released.

Morrow said Anderson acknowledges that he has a drug addiction and mental health issues stemming from what he described as a severe family tragedy he experienced several years ago.

But, Morrow said, Anderson participated in faith-based services while in prison and asked the court to release him with a GPS tracking device and/or home confinement conditions.

“We ask that he be released under strict conditions,” Morrow said.

Leisten disagreed.

“We submit he poses a specific danger,” Leisten said. “The defendant has prior convictions in Ogle, Winnebago [and] DeKalb counties, and there is also a pending case in Arkansas. There are no set of conditions that can mitigate the risk to her. We don’t believe he can abide any conditions ... based on his history.”

Peska agreed and remanded Anderson to the Ogle County Jail.

“While he was in the Department of Corrections, he was violating the order of protection,” Peska said.

Anderson is scheduled to appear in court again at 1 p.m. Sept. 3.

All of the new Ogle County charges filed against Anderson are felonies and would include extended prison terms if he is found guilty.