LAS VEGAS -- A local shelter is using the New Year to re-enforce a message of safety about a dangerous crime affecting some Nevadans.
January is Stalking Awareness month and Las Vegas is often near the top of the list when it comes to the number of women killed by men, according to the Violence Policy Center, a Washington non-profit organization.
"I had to learn how to notice the cars in my rear view mirrors at all times, get on and off the interstate multiple times, change my telephone number, I had to move to a guard-gated community," said Angel, a woman who fears for her life and asked 8 News NOW to keep her identity secret.
At 13-years-old, she was recruited into sex trafficking. She can't forget the crippling feeling years later when she escaped.
"Total fear, terror, you sleep with knives, anything that you can do, you buy every security system," she said.
Now, Angel is a successful life coach.
But many women and men in this entertainment capital are still trapped in tragic relationships. Some escape in death, some suffer in silence, others find shelters like the Walter Hoving Home.
"Domestic violence, or an abusive relationship, through ex-boyfriends, husbands, pimps, whatever it is, can lead to stalking where these men are just not willing to let them go," said Sylvia Marcheal, director of the Outreach Learning Center at Walter Hoving Home.
The home is a one-year-program that rebuilds lives shattered by any addiction.
Marcheal warns domestic violence victims to call police, change phone numbers, contact info and driving habits, before it's too late.
"Unfortunately, it can take a visit to the hospital or even worse," she said.
"You don't have to stay in a relationship where you're not loved," Angel said.
If you know someone who is being stalked, contact police and file an incident report.
