THREATENED WOMEN SHOULD TAKE ACTION, SAY OFFICIALS

The shooting death of a Cape Girardeau woman Monday has prompted officials to encourage women who feel threatened in any way to seek protection.

Kendra Bannister, 26, was killed Monday, allegedly by her former boyfriend who was unwilling to end their relationship even though she had told him of her desire to break up.

Police say that the boyfriend, Greg McGill, 35, of Cape Girardeau, went to Bannister's apartment Monday when she was home for lunch. They believe that McGill on Sunday morning also was at Bannister's apartment where he repeatedly rang her doorbell and possibly slashed her tires.

The death of Bannister was not, however, the only domestic situation in Cape Girardeau County that had the potential of tragedy last weekend.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that a warrant was issued Saturday for the arrest of Curtis Michael Scaggs, formerly of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Marble Hill, on charges of unlawful use of a weapon and several counts of assault against a former companion.

The assault charges allege that Scaggs shoved and pulled his girlfriend down a set of stairs in front on her children. They also charge that he flourished a handgun in an angry and threatening manner and that he grabbed and forcibly restrained her, telling her that he would "bust her in her pretty face just like she was a man."

When law enforcement officials arrested Scaggs in Cape Girardeau Saturday afternoon, they said he was carrying a concealed and loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol.

Dena Pehlman, the shelter director for the Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau, said Tuesday that there are similarities in all types of violence directed at women because all of them seek to control women. The alleged actions directed at Bannister constituted stalking, which she characterized as the beginning form of abuse, Pehlman said.

"Stalking is similar to physical abuse in that they are both forms of control. Wanting to control another person's behavior is a form of abuse," she said.

More than 1 million women are stalked each year, says a 1997 Justice Department survey. The study further showed that 59 percent of victims were stalked by spouses, former spouses, live-in partners or dates.

The vast majority of stalking victims -- 74 percent -- were between the ages of 18 and 39. About 10 percent were under 18.

The survey also confirmed earlier research suggesting a high correlation between stalking and domestic violence. Of those women who said they were stalked by a spouse, former spouse, live-in partner or date, 80 percent also reported being physically assaulted by the stalker.

Pehlman said that a woman who feels threatened in a domestic situation should seek protection either through a women's shelter or through the protection of police.

"Even if there is the slightest question or any doubt of her safety, she should get out of the situation," Pehlman said.

Bannister called the police early Sunday morning when she thought McGill was ringing her doorbell, but once police spoke to McGill she said that she felt she was safe. She did not seek any further legal protection, even though Cape Girardeau police had encouraged her to seek an ex parte order.

An ex parte order, sometimes called a temporary restraining order, is issued by a judge whenever a person feels threatened by another. Typically, an ex parte order tells the person named in the order to stay away from the house and work of the person who sought the order. This year alone, the circuit court has issued 244 ex parte orders in Cape Girardeau County.

In 1993, Missouri statutes were amended to allow victims of stalking to seek ex parte orders against the stalkers.

Although the ex parte order cannot always protect a person, it does allow police an added tool, said Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle. "The police can arrest the person on the spot even for knocking on the door," Swingle said.

He said in reference to Bannister's death: "In light of the tragedy, I would encourage women in situations where a person is obsessed and will not let them go to seek protection. There are resources available," he said.