Police looking for more victims in felony stalker arrest
HOUSTON (FOX 26) — Houston police are searching for more victims in what they believe is a serial stalking case.
Robin Chiswell, 60, spent years sending handwritten letters to his victims with at least one that caused one victim to fear for her life, according to Houston police.
While Chiswell has only been charged in one case so far, prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney's Office say they believe there are many more victims.
Police say Chiswell is the man who stalked well-known Houston philanthropist Carolyn Farb for as long as twenty years.
"The letters were often threatening, but then also very insulting," said Harris County Assistant District Attorney Samantha Knecht. "He would use profanity. Often the letters started off with a string of profanity. Some of the card stock even said ‘F you’ on the front of it."
While Farb’s case is the only one in which police have enough evidence to file a charge, they say Chiswell was also identified as the suspect in the case of a harassing letter sent to Kevin Sumlin in 2017 when he was the head football coach at Texas A&M University. The letter included the 'N word' and concluded with "please get lost or else.”
"We believe we now have information and evidence to believe that these are not the only victims, and that there are numerous victims in Harris County,” said Knecht.
Police say Chiswell even went so far as to attend weddings and funerals of the people he stalked.
Investigators have been trying to identify the man behind the letters since as early as 2014. Finally with the help of the U.S. Postal Service and Houston Police working together, Chiswell was arrested in late November 2018.
"We’ve seen how they can escalate into serious crimes, so we were really excited about stopping this before it got any further,” said Detective J. Varela with the Houston Police Department Major Offenders Division.
Chiswell lived alone in the Spring Valley Village district of west Houston. When police searched his home, they found evidence including the same stationery card that police say his victims received.
Chiswell’s attorney says he hasn’t committed any criminal offenses with his letter writing.
"He’s a harmless old man, and even though there may be a lot of piss and vinegar in his pen, I don’t believe that he is a threat to anyone," said attorney Val Zuniga. "He’s never harmed anyone. He does not have a criminal history."
Police say Chiswell’s letters were sent anonymously and the return address was either the Houston Country Club or the River Oaks Country Club. If you have received a similar harassing or threatening letter, contact Houston police.