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A 46-year-old Virginia woman who allegedly stalked Apple CEO Tim Cook and sent him photographs of a handgun has agreed to the terms of a three-year permanent civil restraining order, according to Santa Clara County Superior Court records.
The March 29 restraining order capped off what had been more than a yearlong episode of alleged stalking, threats and harassment against Cook. The woman, who moved to the Bay Area from Virginia in fall 2021 to allegedly pursue Cook, currently lives in San Jose.
Apple sought and was granted a temporary restraining order on Jan. 21 of this year after the woman displayed increasingly "erratic" and threatening behavior, according to a petition for the workplace violence restraining order. Jose Barrera, a security specialist for Apple Inc. who worked closely with Cook, stated in the January court filing that he feared the woman was a threat to Cook and Apple's security team and employees.
Cook first became aware of the woman in late 2020 when he received a Twitter alert. The woman was using his last name and claimed to be his wife. On Oct. 31, she tweeted more than a dozen times that she had a relationship with him. She emailed Cook nearly 200 times between October and mid-November of 2020. At one point, she allegedly sent him photos of a loaded handgun and stated that she had bought ammunition, according to the restraining order petition.
By September 2021, the woman became obsessed with Cook's residence in Palo Alto and sent him an email saying she was applying to be his roommate, according to the petition. In October 2021, she drove across the country from her residence in McLean, Virginia, to attempt to make contact with Cook. She trespassed on his home property on at least two occasions, the restraining order petition claimed.
On Oct. 22, 2021, she attempted to speak with Cook but was rebuffed by his security personnel. She returned within about 15 minutes, however, but left the property and returned to her car to wait. Palo Alto police arrived and she attempted to flee. When police detained her, the woman allegedly told police that she "could be violent." Officers did not find any weapons in her car, which they towed due to expired license plates, the petition noted.
The woman continued to allegedly harass Cook, indicating her desire by email to have a personal and sexual relationship with him. In November and December of 2021, her emails became increasingly erratic and disturbing. At one point, she allegedly told him to give her $500 million in cash and that she would "forget" and "forgive" all.
In the first week of January 2022, she allegedly tweeted more violent statements. She sent Cook emails on Jan. 4 warning him to vacate his residence. She said she planned to move in within two weeks and issued a "final warning."
She also allegedly registered dozens of fraudulent corporations in California, New York and Virginia, some of which used highly offensive corporate names, the petition noted. These corporations listed Cook as an officer, board director or corporate agent and used his home address or one of Apple's corporate addresses, the petition said.
The woman represented herself in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Tuesday and agreed to the stay-away order. She is prohibited from contacting Cook, his security teams, company executives and any Apple employees and their families in any manner. She must stay away from any residences, including Cook's home, and any Apple property, including retail establishments.
She also is forbidden to contact anyone related to Apple by any means or to make statements about Cook and others associated with Apple on social media platforms. She must immediately delist all of the fraudulent corporations and must surrender or sell any guns and ammunition within seven days. Both sides agreed to bear their own legal costs. The restraining order is in effect through March 29, 2025.
Apple's legal counsel could not immediately be reached for comment.
Editor's note: The Pulse's policy is to withhold the names of those arrested for most crimes until the district attorney has determined there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case. Read our guidelines.
