What started as a breakup has turned into a criminal case in San Antonio, where a 31-year-old man is now charged with stalking after what investigators describe as a months-long barrage of harassment and threats aimed at a former romantic partner. Authorities say the pattern left the woman fearing for her safety and allegedly involved break-ins, property damage and a violent assault.
According to an arrest affidavit summarized by KABB, Matthew Christian Vasquez is accused of repeatedly sending threatening and harassing messages, damaging the victim’s vehicle and breaking into her home on May 9, when he allegedly took a cellphone belonging to the victim’s mother. The affidavit states the victim was physically assaulted on May 19 and treated at a hospital, and that on May 28 Vasquez allegedly cut through multiple locks to get back onto the property and threatened to return and shoot them. The document also notes that he has a prior family-violence assault conviction involving the same victim and that he allegedly evaded officers while they tried to track him down.
What the law says
Under Texas law, stalking is defined in Texas Penal Code §42.072 as a pattern of conduct that causes a person to fear for their safety, and it can be charged as a felony in certain circumstances. Threats to commit violence fall under Texas Penal Code §22.07, which can be treated as a misdemeanor or upgraded to a felony depending on who is targeted and how serious the threat is. Those same statutes give prosecutors tools to seek protective orders and other remedies, particularly when they are dealing with repeat offenders.
Court status and next steps
Vasquez is charged with stalking and, according to the arrest affidavit described by KABB, has active warrants tied to terroristic-threat allegations. Investigators say he evaded law-enforcement attempts to locate him on multiple occasions. It was not immediately clear from public filings when or whether he would be booked or arraigned, and authorities had not released additional court documents at the time of reporting.
Resources for victims
If you or someone you know is being stalked, advocates urge you to document every incident, contact police and consider seeking a protective order, and to keep copies of threatening messages along with a log of dates and times. The Texas Attorney General’s “Defending Yourself Against Stalking” pamphlet lists hotlines, steps to preserve evidence and local resources, including the statewide victims’ hotline at 800-983-9933, the Attorney General’s Office notes.
