A woman upset that Tony Stewart didn’t sign her an autograph was arrested for allegedly stalking the retired NASCAR driver and his family for over a year, according to Indianapolis television station WRTV.
Woman arrested for allegedly stalking, harassing former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart
The woman is alleged to have made hundreds of threatening phone calls to Stewart and his family over an 18-month span.
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway
Kathi Russell, 68, of Coral Gables, Fla., was arrested Tuesday and charged with felony counts of stalking, violating a protective order, terroristic mischief, and intimidation, according to online Indiana court records.
Russell is alleged to have harassed Stewart from March 2016 through October 2017, by making a total of 333 threatening phone calls to Stewart, his mother, sister, company, and sponsors, according to WRTV. In one of the calls she allegedly played a soundbite of then- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying, “We Came, we saw, he died,” in reference to former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, followed by “maniacal laughter.”
Russell is also alleged to have sent an unknown white powder to Stewart’s attorneys’ office in Indianapolis, causing an anthrax scare and the building to be evacuated. The powder turned out to be baking soda.
Russell is in custody in Leon County (Fla.) and awaiting extradition to Indiana.
Stewart, who retired from NASCAR driving following the 2016 season, is a three-time Cup Series champion. The 46-year-old is also the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, which field four Cup teams and is regarded as one of NASCAR’s top organizations.
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