UPDATE (July 10, 2017) — Travis Tarrants pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking. He was sentenced to 5 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with 298 days credited for time served.
JACKSON COUNTY, Ind. – An Indiana man has been arrested after allegedly stalking and intimidating a couple, because he was not hired as a fourth-grade teacher and basketball coach at an Orange County school.
According to court documents, Travis Tarrants, 40, began harassing the man chosen for the positions at the Springs Valley School Corporation in French Lick, and his fiancé.
Authorities say Tarrants attempted to mail packages filled with dead animals, including four skunks and a raccoon, to the victims.
One of the packages was listed as being sent from the male victim’s fiancé and was mailed to the Seymour School District Administration building. Two other packages were intercepted by the Indianapolis Post Office. One was listed as being sent from Medora High School’s athletic director and the other was listed as being from the basketball coach at Brownstown High School. The Jasper Post Office intercepted another package, containing a dead raccoon. Again, the victim’s fiancé was listed as the sender and it also contained a message, saying “Resign! It will not stop.”
Authorities also located multiple letters sent to both of the victims’ work, claiming the male victim had a sexual relationship with an underage student. One of the letters, claiming to be from a 15-year-old, reportedly contained a photo of a man’s genitals and the male victim’s phone number.
Both victims also received voicemails, threatening to kill the man’s fiancé and her baby.
Investigators also believe Tarrants called the Department of Child Services several times, claiming that the male victim engaged in a sexual relationship with an underage student and that he was sexually abusing his fiancé’s daughter.
Tarrants is also accused of spray-painting explicit and threatening messages on the victims’ vehicles. Detectives reportedly found white spray paint, clothing with white paint on it, receipts for envelopes that matched the ones that were sent and a note with the male victim’s name and address
Tarrants is facing two felony charges of stalking, two felony charges of intimidation and two felony charges of criminal mischief in the case.
