Police seek man charged with stalking TV reporter Reyna

KPRC's Jennifer Reyna, left, joined the station in 2006. KPRC's Jennifer Reyna, left, joined the station in 2006. Photo: KPRC-TV Chnanel 2 Photo: KPRC-TV Chnanel 2 Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Police seek man charged with stalking TV reporter Reyna 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Houston police hope to place handcuffs on a Friendswood man who has been charged with stalking a Houston news television anchor and traffic reporter.

Investigators said Christopher Marcus Olson, 38, has been stalking KPRC-TV's Jennifer Reyna since Sept. 14, disregarding a no-contact order issued by a judge in May 2007 after he twice drove his vehicle through the front door of the news station.

Since last Septemberr, police said, Olson has followed Reyna as she left work, parked by her vehicle in a parking lot next to the news station and called her at her job.

"Based on the documented incidents of the defendant following the complainant (Reyna) and waiting for the complainant outside of her place of employment, (she) is in fear of her life," according to an arrest warrant filed on Thursday.

Numerous incidents

On Sept. 14, investigators said, Reyna approached the intersection of the service road and Beechnut when she saw Olson sitting in the parking lot of the gas station near the news station.

"(Reyna) stated that once she saw the defendant she immediately made a U-turn under the freeway and went back to the station," the arrest warrant states. "The complainant stated that once at the station she advised the (senior executive producer,) Rick McFarland, who knows about the defendant, (and) at that time contacted the police."

On Nov. 16, Olson followed Reyna as she left the news station and she spotted him at a Mercedes-Benz dealership where she was going to get her car washed. She said she hid from him and drove away.

On Nov. 30, police said, Olson was parked in the parking lot next to the news station and tried to follow Reyna but she lost him in traffic.

On Dec. 7, Reyna said she was leaving KPRC-TV when she noticed Olson following her. She led him to the Houston Police Department's Southwest Division and called 911, but he drove off as she tried to inform officers about his history of harassing her.

And on Dec. 14, Olson allegedly pulled into the parking lot next door to the news station as Reyna got out of her vehicle at 4:15 a.m., and "started shouting out her name," according to the arrest warrant.

A security guard told Olson to leave, the warrant states. About an hour later, Reyna said Olson called her, bypassing a phone screener.

In May 2007, Olson twice drove his car into the KPRC news building. He was charged with felony criminal mischief in the cases.

Drove through doors

According to the criminal complaint, a security guard at the station saw Olson behind the wheel of the car as it careened into the front doors of the building at 8181 Southwest Freeway, causing more than $5,000 in damage.

The driver, later officially identified as Olson, got out of the car and spray-painted the figure 913 onto the glass of the building. The complaint doesn't explain what the figure refers to.

The driver left, only to return 20 minutes later, where he sat in his car in the parking lot.

Police investigators tracked the license plate number to Olson's home in Friendswood. When reached by telephone, his mother said Olson admitted his responsibility.

During the interview, the investigator heard Olson yell out, "Is that about the front doors I ran into?" according to the complaint.

Olson was taken into custody and later pleaded guilty. According to court records, he waived a jury trial and was sentenced to one year for the state jail felony.

Arrested again

Olson was arrested in February 2010 after he disregarded the no-contact order, prompting state District Judge Mary Lou Keel to upgrade the harassment charge to stalking. He was released on bond in March 2011.

Anyone with information about Olson's whereabouts should call Houston police at 713-308-3280 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

On Monday, McFarland at KPRC said Reyna has declined to talk about the incident. Also, he said he could not comment about the case.

Mike Glenn contributed to this report.