Man gets 8 years in Roselle stalking
A convicted sex offender was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for his relentless stalking of a Roselle woman who said her former flame forced her to live in constant fear.
Police arrested Thomas J. Garling Dec. 20, 2007, after catching him on the dead-end street where the woman lives, despite her protective order barring him from contact. Inside his rental car, police said they found a large knife, hammer, duct tape and nylon rope.
The 57-year-old Roselle man was charged with aggravated stalking, armed violence and violating an order of protection. He faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge.
In a partial deal, Garling pleaded guilty Aug. 20 to aggravated stalking after prosecutors agreed to cap the maximum prison term at eight years.
At Friday's sentencing hearing, DuPage Circuit Judge Kathryn Creswell called the deal "generous," ignoring the defendant's plea for mercy. The judge told Garling he poses a significant threat to the community.
"Basically, the defendant can't take no for an answer," the judge said. "He clearly has not let go of his issues of power and control because that's what this case is all about."
In an earlier crime, Garling was sentenced to probation and sex-offender treatment for molesting a 14-year-old girl in a Cook County forest preserve after befriending her on an Internet chat site for poetry and music enthusiasts. He also had to register as a sex offender.
Years later, the Roselle woman ended her relationship with Garling in September 2007 because she said he was too controlling. A month later, she stopped by his house to pick up her belongings and agreed to stay for pizza.
She told the judge Friday how she ended up leaving in a panic after she spotted what appeared to be crushed-up blue pills on one side of the pizza and a hidden video camera filming her.
She obtained the protective order Nov. 7, 2007, to stop Garling's constant surveillance, harassing phone calls and text messages in which he would demand they get back together. The woman said once caught him hiding behind a tree outside her home and even in the parking lot of her daughter's high school.
"(Garling's) actions have caused me and my family to change our everyday way of life," she said through tears. "He stole our sense of security, and I wonder if we will ever be able to gain that feeling of comfort back again."
Garling apologized before being sentenced. He said much of his bad behavior was connected to his alcoholism. Garling said he completed about 300 hours of substance-abuse treatment while being held without bond in jail this past 10 months. Once freed, Garling plans to move with his fiancee to Decatur, where he has a job, housing and alcohol treatment in place.
A court-appointed forensic psychologist who interviewed Garling said he poses "a moderate risk" for future violence. Another expert who treated Garling in the past said he'd made marked improvement, but that he also is very manipulative and a good liar.
The judge agreed. Garling is eligible for parole after serving half of the eight-year prison term.