Cyberstalked: Tennis Star Serena Williams Needs To Rethink Social Media
Tennis star Serena Williams faced her alleged cyberstalker in court on Tuesday.
Patenema Ouedraogo, 40, is charged with stalking and cyberstalking the tennis great. Palm Beach Gardens Police arrested him near Williams’ home early Tuesday morning. He’s being held in jail on $25,000 bond.
Williams definitely needs to reconsider how she uses social media to enhance her image and connect with her nearly 2,037,000 Twitter followers. She tweets photos of herself, discusses karaoke and roots for the Miami Heat.
Twitter and Facebook are powerful tools for athletes and other celebrities to build their personal brands, but Ouedraogo allegedly told investigators he used Twitter to track Williams.
According to court documents, Ouedraogo allegedly tried to make contact with the tennis star several times:
- Last October, Ouedraogo allegedly made several attempts to enter a Los Angeles office building where Williams was meeting with her agent.
- He reportedly showed up in her dressing room at the Home Shopping Network in Tampa last month.
- He’s also accused of showing up at radio station where Williams was being interviewed.
He even wrote a letter saying that he was in love with Williams.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 3.4 million adults are stalked each year in the United States. One in four victims reports being cyberstalked.
The lesson for Williams and other celebrities — don’t post information about your location. There are too many crazies in the world.
