Every woman who's ever had a restraining order against an abusive ex will feel chills at this news. Mila Kunis' stalker has escaped the mental institution where he was being treated. Stuart Lynn Dunn, who was twice convicted of stalking the star, made an "unauthorized departure" from the facility, Los Angeles police say.
Don't you love how they put that -- "unauthorized departure"? Way to dress up some truly scary news. But it sounds like police are taking the escape seriously. LAPD Lt. Martin Rodriguez tells the New York Daily News that a manhunt for Dunn is "in progress and ongoing." Um, gee, I wonder where Dunn might be headed?
But seriously, it makes a big difference when police take the threat of a stalker seriously. Too many other women have become victims because their please for help were taken lightly.
We hope Kunis has good protection. She's probably taking extra precautions now, at any rate. As with a baby daughter she has more at stake than ever before. Fortunately she has the resources to beef up her security, but as a celeb there's no doubt she finds herself a target more often than the average woman. Still, I wish all women who've been targeted by stalkers and violent boyfriends/husbands/exes could get the protection they need.
More from The Stir: 15 Signs You're in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship
Dunn once broke into a home Kunis owns and occupied it, which is a terrifying prospect. According to his plea bargain he was supposed to stay away from Kunis for 10 years, but we all know how well stalkers follow those kinds of orders. Hopefully police will manage to catch up with Dunn before he does something else creepy.
Have you ever been stalked, or known a woman who was stalked? How did she get help?
Image via Splash News