A Schuylkill County man kept calling, texting and driving past a Shenandoah woman’s home for more than a month after she cut off contact with him, police say.
Kurt Chesonis, 67, of Ringtown, is charged with stalking, a first-degree misdemeanor, and harassment, a third-degree misdemeanor. Shenandoah police filed the charges after the woman walked into the police station on the afternoon of Aug. 30 and reported the unwanted communication she’d been receiving.
The woman told police the two had become friends and that she only wanted a friendship, getting coffee and things like that. She said Chesonis attempted to take things further and wanted to become partners. She told police she explained to him that she was not looking for something like that and that he would have to find a different woman for a relationship like that. Chesonis then began asking her if she likes women and if that was why she would not engage in a partnership with him, she told police.
She ended all communication with him on July 21, she said. But Chesonis continued to call, text, and drive past her home on W. Centre St.
The woman gave police a written log she kept of the contacts. It begins July 21, when she wrote that she received calls from Chesonis in the afternoon and three more that evening. She answered a call late that night, she wrote, and he told her to hang up, so she did, adding that was the last time she ever communicated with him.
The next day, she wrote, Chesonis drove up the alley behind her home in a white Jeep with a loud muffler, a vehicle she said he doesn’t normally drive.
The log lists calls on most days through the end of August, often several in a single evening, along with calls from a restricted number that she believed were from Chesonis. On one night in early August, she wrote, he left a voicemail telling her he was not mad and not to be afraid to call him.
On Aug. 24, the woman found a handwritten note at her home, police say. The note read: “Good day Miss [victim’s name] I hoping you, [two others] are well. I am not upset but you seem to be. Please except my apology for what I may have done to hurt you. Please lets not throw away our friendship!!! Thank you for your consideration…. without friends we have nothing….”
Four days later, around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 28, the woman wrote that Chesonis drove slowly down the alley behind her home, circled the block, came back down the alley and stopped at her driveway. She asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was driving around town, she told police. He asked if the two were still friends and she said no, she wrote. He then told her to call him, and she said no. He said that he would call her, and she again said no.
That evening, Chesonis texted her seven times at a little after 7:30 p.m. and called four more times before the night was over, according to the log. Another call came the following day.
While the woman was explaining the situation at the police station, she began shaking, police say. She apologized for the shaking and told the officer it was because she is afraid for her safety and is worried that this may escalate into something more serious.
The woman also gave police her cellphone call log, which showed the calls coming from a contact she had saved as “Kurt A Friend,” and turned over all of the text messages she received from Chesonis between July 21 and Aug. 30, police say. She never responded to any of them, according to police.
An officer called Chesonis on the afternoon of Aug. 30, police say. A man answered and confirmed he was Chesonis, then said he was not home and would appear at the Shenandoah police station when he was available to speak, according to police.
When Chesonis did not show up, an officer called him again at about 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 and asked why, police say. Chesonis said he forgot, according to police. He confirmed the phone number was his and that he is the only person who ever has access to it, police say. Chesonis confirmed he left the handwritten letter at the woman’s residence on Aug. 24, and confirmed it again after the officer read the letter to him, according to police. He also confirmed that on Aug. 28 he “was up the alley” and saw the woman outside, so he went and asked her if they were still friends, police say.
Chesonis was arraigned Sept. 2 before Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, who set bail at $10,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 1 before Kilker.
Schuylkill County Crisis & Support Resources
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or sexual violence, free, confidential, and inclusive help is available 24/7 in Schuylkill County.
- Schuylkill Hope Center (Domestic Violence): Call the 24/7 hotline at (570) 622-6220, text HOPELINE to 20121, or visit schopecenter.org. Services include emergency shelter, housing assistance, counseling, and legal representation.
- SARCC (Sexual Assault): Call the 24/7 hotline at (570) 628-2965 or visit sarccheals.org for counseling, advocacy, and healing support for survivors of sexual violence.
- Outside Schuylkill County: Residents across Pennsylvania can find their local domestic violence program at pcadv.org. You can also visit domesticshelters.org to find resources near you.
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