This page by Knot My Wisonsin about Bill Schmalfeldt and his past harassment is pretty stunning and shows that this behavior by Bill Schmalfeldt against me and others is part of a long pattern of behavior by him.

[note color=”#dbfae5″]What I’m about to say is critical of the authors of the page so let me start by saying — I understand that dealing with someone like Mr. Schmalfeldt is not something most people face. It’s hard to know what the right thing to do is. I’m on YOUR side so what I’m about to say is critical but I mean it in a constructive way… [/note]

When you are dealing with someone making criminal threats, you need to treat them like a criminal and not a clown.

The post by Knot My Wisconsin starts with…

Everyone meet Bill aka Shaky. Bill is a crossbreed between Barney Fife internet detective and a King Kong Bundy internet tough guy type. We first came across Bill during the Operation Burn Notice days.

Okay, let’s stop right there.

The insults are a bad idea. This is not just because insults aren’t a substitute for argument. Not just because civility is a virtue. Not just because two wrongs don’t make a right. I understand that insulting him might feel good and make a tough situation fun. But — it’s a bad idea.

It’s a bad idea because it makes the proper course of action-criminal charges-more difficult. It looks like bickering. If a judge or a law enforcement official reads that, it’s someone being insulted for having a disease and called names like “Barney Fife.’

I filed criminal harassment charges against Bill Schmalfeldt because I believe he is a dangerous person with a criminal lack of self-control who has shown he will stop at nothing to destroy strangers. It’s serious.

And here’s the big deal and it’s part of why I’m fighting this : if internet bullies who act in a criminal matter aren’t stopped, they will do it to OTHER people.

Further in the post, Know Not Wisconsin gives some great examples of Bill Schmalfeldt committing actual crimes of criminal harassment and extortion, in my opinion and I’m not a lawyer.

Look at this and remember — Bill Schmalfeldt threatens this woman with losing her kids and a couple of months ago, he actually reported my wife and I to child protective services. In other words, Bill Schmalfeldt MEANS it.

This is not internet tomfoolery and it shouldn’t be treated as such.

The solution is not ‘trolling’. It’s not insulting. It’s taking the threat SERIOUSLY and dealing with it methodically.

For example:

1) Tell them to stop contacting you directly; keep records.
2) If they keep messaging / emailing — either
a) tell them again to stop direct contact and go back to step 1
OR
b) report them to the police.